Leaders express readiness to resolve crisis thru talks, but appear adamant on stances

KATHMANDU: Senior leaders of major political parties and the agitating United Democratic Madhesi Front said they were ready to resolve the current crisis through talks.

Taking part in an interaction in the Capital on Saturday, the leaders said the solution should be made from among the political parties here and any type of foreign interference should not be accepted.

The leaders, however, remained adamant on their party stances.

CPN-UML senior leader and former Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal said both the government and the agitating Madhes-centric parties as well as the southern neighbour India were responsible for the protracted agitation and subsequent hardships people are facing.

Likewise, UCPN-Maoist Vice-Chairman Narayan Kaji Shrestha said every side should be flexible for the solution and keep the national sovereignty, unity, integrity and safeguarding of achievements made so far at the centre.

UML Vice-Chairman and Deputy Prime Minister Bhim Bahadur Rawal said the government was ready to continue talks with agitating parties for as many as 24 hours if they wished so.

Speaking at the function, Nepali Congress Vice-President Ram Chandra Paudel said there was no any alternative to dialogues to solve the current crisis.

Explaining that the current political situation made a huge loss to the national economy, another NC leader Ram Sharan Mahat said economic progress should not be halted in any political pretext.

He urged the protesting parties to end the street demonstrations and seek the solution through the Parliament.

Federal Socialist Forum-Nepal Chairman Upendra Yadav accused the government of carrying out genocide in the Tarai region in the name of containing protests while senior leader of the party, Ashok Rai, urged Nepali Congress, CPN-UML and UCPN-Maoist to assure identity-based federalism as they pledged in the election manifestos.

Tarai Madhes Democratic Party Chairman Mahantha Thakur said the current agitation was for establishing the right to identity of Madhesi people and it would not end without achieving that.

Sadbhawana Party Co-Chairman Laxman Lal Karna also said there was no alternative to talks.