KATHMANDU, August 1

Madhesi leaders of Unified CPN-Maoist on Saturday met party Chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal, senior leader Baburam Bhattarai and Narayan Kaji Shrestha and urged them to address the concerns of Madhesis regarding the draft constitution.

UCPN-M Standing Committee member Ram Chandra Jha submitted the concerns of Madhesi leaders to the Constitutional –Political Dialogue and Consensus Committee. Jha informed that Madhesi leaders had asked the top leaders to take their concerns into account now instead of bowing down to their agitation later.

“The demands of Madhesi people cannot be ignored once they resort to street protests. So, the best thing is to accept their demands now rather than yield later,” Jha told The Himalayan Times.

He said the party’s Madhesi leaders urged the party leadership and CPDCC Chair to promulgate the constitution only after resolving the boundary issue, adopting three languages as means of communication, retaining the ‘or’ in citizenship clause, incorporating Madhes uprising in the Preamble, and ensuring proportional inclusion in the constitution.

He said that they also suggested changing the name of the constitution to Constitution of Federal Republic of Nepal in order to signify the epochal change brought by the recent movements.

Provision for provincial Judicial Council which could autonomously work in the province was also demanded. Jha said the party leaders assured they would consult Madhesi leaders before taking any decision that could have an impact on Madhes or Madhesis.

According to UCPN-M Central Committee member Ram Rijhan Yadav, the top leaders assured serious talks with other signatories of the 16-point agreement to address the concerns of marginalised communities. UCPN-M Chair Dahal informed the Madhesi leaders that the signatories of the 16-point pact had reached a tentative agreement to retain the ‘or’ provision in the citizenship clause.

“We are in favour of settling the boundaries of provinces before the promulgation of the statute. We signed the 16-point agreement to pave the way for the first draft of the constitution. It does not mean that other issues cannot be dealt with after the pact,” Yadav quoted Dahal as telling the group.

They demanded that the provinces be given powers to have their own armed forces.