Kathmandu, March 25

Chairman of Federal Socialist Forum–Nepal Upendra Yadav today said there was nothing new in the 10-point agreement that Nepal signed with China during Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli’s visit to the northern neighbour.

Addressing an interaction organised by Reporters Club here today, Yadav said the 10-point agreement contained things that the Government of Nepal had already expedited in 2009. “Those who are speaking high of the new Nepal-China agreement and those who think they have achieved big things are under a wrong impression,” he said, adding that the PM failed to seal new deals with China to enhance bilateral cooperation in the field of hydro power, communications, transport and human resources.

Although China wanted to extend all possible help to Nepal but Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli-led government was not able to seek help from the northern neighbour, he argued.

Yadav said the country would not move ahead if PM Oli failed to understand geopolitics. He said the government had failed to maintain cordial relations with the neighbours.

The United Democratic Madhesi Front, he added, has given the government till mid-April to address its demands and if the government did not meet its demands, then the front would intensify its stir again.  He further said the next movement would be a joint people’s movement, which would have participation of people from all regions — the Tarai, hills and mountains.

“The government has till mid April to meet our demands but I don’t think the government is willing to utilise this opportunity to address our concerns,” he added.

“Unless the people of this country take ownership of the constitution, welcoming of our constitution by a foreign country is meaningless,” he added.

The Madhesi leader said that the country would not achieve the goals of prosperity as long as inclusion was not ensured. He said the new constitution failed to meet people’s expectation as the major parties hurriedly passed the new constitution in their attempt to hold elections for the new prime minister and the president. He said the current government would fall due to its own failures but he was not concerned about the change of guard.

Yadav said Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Kamal Thapa, who had been campaigning for constitutional monarchy and Hindu state, could not play a lead role in federal and republican Nepal. He said the ministers of the current government who took oath under the new constitution were speaking against the constitution.