Janakpurdham, April 11

New Force Nepal Coordinator Baburam Bhattarai today asked Madhesi parties and their leaders to abjure their secessionist agenda and focus on garnering the power to rule over Kathmandu.

Inaugurating his party’s Second Pradesh level meeting in Janakpur, Bhattarai said, “On the one hand, hill rulers are treating Madhesi people as second class citizens; while on the other, Madhesi leaders and parties are talking of splitting the Tarai from Nepal. Both views are flawed.”

Bhattarai stressed the need to overcome the challenges facing the country. “The Madhesi parties’ demand of separating the Tarai from Nepal is not possible,” Bhattarai said, adding “An autonomous Tarai Madhes inside a prosperous Nepal is what we want.”

Bhattarai held that the unity among Madhesi, indigenous people, Tharus and Khas Araya alone could make the country developed and prosperous. “If the Tarai is separated from Nepal, the country cannot remain sovereign and unified,” Bhattarai added.

He commended the Madhesis for their contribution to the evolution.