Rajbiraj, August 1

Sadbhawana Party Chairperson Rajendra Mahato today said that United Democratic Madhesi Front, of which his party is a constituent, is ready to lend external support to the upcoming government led by CPN-Maoist Centre Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal provided there is a written agreement to fulfil its twin conditions.

Speaking at a press conference here today, the Sadbhawana Party chief sought martyrs’ status for those deceased during the Madhes agitation, free treatment for the injured, withdrawal of ‘fake’ cases, as well as formation of a judicial commission and waiver of interest on bank loans for businesspersons and entrepreneurs for the months-long agitation.

“The aforementioned is our first condition. Along with this, if the concerned parties make a written pledge to forward a proposal for amendment of the statute to address our demands regarding review of provincial boundary, citizenship issues and the agenda of representation, we can think of supporting the government, albeit from outside,” said Mahato.

“It’s good for us that the Maoist-NC alliance has asked for our support, but let me make it clear there is no question of joining the government until there is a solid guarantee that the demands of the Madhes will be fulfilled,” he added, vowing to stand against the upcoming coalition if it fails to change its outlook on the Madhes and its agenda.

Further, Mahato accused the state restructuring commission of acting in a biased way. “As far as how the commission is preparing the model of gaunpalika in the Tarai by combining four to five village development committees is concerned, it is a gross injustice to the Madhes. Unless such act is stopped, it’ll be a great misfortune to the Madhes,” he argued.

“How justifiable is the idea of making 188 gaunpalikas in the Madhes that comprises 51 per cent of the population of the country, against 277 gaunpalikas in the hills that accounts for just 49 per cent of the total population of the country?” he asked, calling on people to thwart any grand design against the Madhes by the state under any pretext.

Mahato held the state responsible for the clash between Nepali and Indian nationals on the border in the Dasgaza area of Saptari, Tilathi, recently. “The issue is not a fresh one. The state could have resolved it long ago through a high-level mechanism, but it’s quite mysterious why it overlooked this issue all these years,” he reasoned.

The Madhes-based leader also blamed the government of being biased against flood victims in the Madhes. “In fact, the state has to respond to the plight of flood victims in the Madhes with equal urgency as it heeded to the plight of quake victims in the hills earlier,” he opined.