Kathmandu, August 24

In a preliminary assessment, leaders of three major political parties — Nepali Congress, CPN-UML and Unified CPN-Maoist — stated that today’s incident in Tikapur of Kailali was the outcome of infiltration of elements, wishing to derail the constitution drafting process, in the movement of the Tharu community.

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However, the parties said they would formally react tomorrow morning only after assessing the detailed information related to the incident and a meeting of the parties was called tomorrow morning for the same.

The meeting held this evening at the Constituent Assembly building in New Baneshwor decided to move ahead with the constitution drafting process smoothly and to foil any kind of conspiracy to derail the process.

“On the basis of information received so far, the incident was not the outcome of anger of the general people but was sponsored and it was brutal,” said Nepali Congress leader Ramchandra Paudel after the meeting. The government should act cautiously and with high degree of restraint, he said.

NC leader Krishna Prasad Sitaula said the incident was not a political one and no one should provoke the situation by making inciting statements when the CA has entered the crucial stage of delivering the new constitution.

CPN-UML Chief Whip Agni Prasad Kharel said that the top leaders’ meeting tomorrow morning in the presence of Home Minister Bam Dev Gautam will make a complete assessment of the incident.

Meanwhile, meetings of parliamentary parties of NC and UCPN-M and Standing Committee meeting of CPN-UML held separately in the CA building termed the incident regrettable.

The NC, in a statement after the meeting, said that the party was conscious about accomplishing the national responsibility of constitution drafting. “The NC appeals to all people to maintain mutual cordiality and unity. Constitution drafting will not be possible through violent means but through mutual dialogue,” the NC said.

The party appealed to all concerned to remain alert to maintain peace and order and unity.

UML Standing Committee, according to UML leader Gokarna Bista, took the incident seriously and demanded a serious investigation. “The meeting appealed to all to be responsible and cautious about preventing communal riots and maintaining communal harmony,” Bista said.

UCPN-M, in a statement issued by its Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal, said the people’s concerns are natural as their issues have not been addressed in the draft constitution. “These kinds of incidents can be prevented only after addressing the rational demands of people in an appropriate way,” Dahal said.

Meanwhile, NC leader Sher Bahadur Deuba, issuing a separate statement, said the incident took place due to infiltration in the Tharu movement.

“It is brutal, inhuman and criminal and I condemn it.

It is a planned conspiracy to divide the Tharu and hill communities who have been living in harmony for years,” Deuba said.