Kathmandu, November 9

The government today formally requested India to contribute to strengthening the relationship between the two countries by normalising the flow of essential supplies.

According to Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli’s press adviser Pramod Dahal, endorsing a special proposal in the cabinet meeting today, the government requested India to end the ongoing problem at the border in relation to the flow of essential goods, including cooking gas, petroleum products and medicine.

Today’s cabinet meeting also issued an appeal to agitating parties to create a conducive environment for talks by ending the sit-in protest at the customs offices during festivals including Tihar, Chhath and Lhosar.

The cabinet has stated that government has been working to resolve the problem through dialogue and has already provided Rs 1 million to those who died during the Madhes movement and was working to withdraw bogus cases against agitators and had already provided free treatment to injured agitators.

The government also expressed gratitude to all the Nepali people for their patience and support to the government in this critical hour.

Spokesperson at the Foreign Ministry Tara Prasad Pokhrel said the ministry will send its correspondence to India regarding the special proposal of the cabinet.

However, Rajendra Mahato, Chair of Sadbhawana Party, a constituent of the United Democratic Madhesi Front condemned the government’s special proposal adopted today to request India to end the blockade at the border entry points.

Issuing a statement here today Mahato said although the UDMF has imposed blockade at the border entry points for 46 days, the government is only trying to defame the Madhes agitation by terming the border blockade as another country’s act.

Mahato said the cabinet’s decision to request India to end the blockade was a conspiracy to dilute the Madhesis’ agendas. End to the ongoing blockade of border entry points, he added, will be possible only when Madhesi parties’ issues and demands are addressed.

Mahato said the government’s renewed invite for talks showed it was not serious about talks and the invites were mere formalities. Stating that the government had not fulfilled the conditions for talks yet, Mahato said the government had continued to crack down on Madhesi agitators even when UDMF was showing flexibility.

He said the country has been witnessing general strike for the last 86 days and the blockade of border entry points for the last 46 days mainly due to the government’s anti-Madhes mentality.

When asked to comment on the government’s special proposal to end the blockade, General Secretary of Tarai Madhes Democratic Party Sarbendra Nath Sukla, however, said it was up to the two governments and his party had nothing to do with it.

Sukla said today’s talks could not happen because the head of the government’s talks team failed to regret the Birgunj incident in public.

He, however, added that Thapa told him the government would show its regrets about the Birgunj incident soon.