Kathmandu, June 29

Coordinator of the Federal Alliance Upendra Yadav said that the government had not yet prepared grounds for talks with the agitating forces.

Speaking at an interaction organised by Reporters Club here today, Yadav said the government needed to give martyrdom status to those people who were killed during the protest, provide relief to the families of victims, ensure free treatment for injured people and withdraw false cases against the cadres of agitating forces to prepare the environment for talks.

Yadav also said that the government should hold dialogue with the FA and since the United Democratic Madhesi Front was also a constituent of the Federal Alliance, talks with the alliance would certainly represent the demands of the front.

“Since the alliance is spearheading the agitation, it is logical to hold talks with the alliance,” he said, adding that the government was trying to create a rift within the alliance by sending separate invites to UDMF constituents for talks.

Yadav said the government should hold dialogue with all the disgruntled forces, even with those political parties that did not take part in the second Constituent Assembly elections in 2013.

Yadav said the government was not sincere about holding talks with the agitating forces.

He, however, claimed that the FA launched movement had already won the fight as it was successful in gaining the sympathy of national and international community towards its cause.

“Had our agitation not made any impact, the chairpersons of other political parties would not have come to express their sympathy towards our movement,” he added.

He said the state had the obligation of addressing the peaceful agitation.

Yadav said rewriting and amending the constitution were basically the same thing as amendment to the constitution would in effect mean rewriting the ‘discriminatory provisions of the constitution.’

Commenting on the government’s preparation to hold local elections, Yadav said local polls were under the jurisdiction of the provincial government in a federal set up and the government’s attempt to hold local elections was an attempt to derail federalism.