KATHMANDU: Nepali Congress leader Mahendra Yadav has accused the main opposition CPN-UML of widening conflict in the country by not allowing amendment to the constitution.

At a face-to-face programme in the Capital on Saturday, he said UML would be tainted in the history if it continuously remains apathetic to the campaign of making the constitution a well-accepted national charter by impeding the constitution amendment.

Two political forces, NC and CPN Maoist Centre, are putting their efforts to ensure ownership of the Madhesi people to the constitution, Yadav said, claiming that the Prime Minister would be successful in this mission.

CPN MC leader Mahendra Bahadur Shahi said the UML was constraining the constitution amendment and provincial and parliamentary elections and the country was being taken hostage with UML's obstinacy.

He also said it was the responsibility of all political parties including main opposition to institutionalise the constitution.

However, CPN-UML leader Satya Narayan Mandal said that their party was never a constraint to resolve the problems of Madhesi people while accusing the government of not enabling environment in the parliament for endorsing the amendment proposal.

Also speaking on the occasion, Rastriya Janata Party  leader Mahendra Roy Yadav asserted that his party had not given up its earlier demand for federating the country into 14 provinces and naming them on the basis of identity as per the high-level commission to determine provincial boundary.

He added that their main demand still was amendment to the constitution and the RJP would not take part in the third phase of polls until their three point demands – increase in local units, withdrawal of  cases registered against their cadres and declaring those killed during protest as martyrs.

Yadav noted that they had served a week-long ultimatum to the government to address these demands.