Kathmandu, February 14:

Mahanth Thakur, key leader of the newly formed United Madhes Democratic Front (UMDF), has said that the six-point demand put forth by the front for solving the problem of Madhes should be addressed before the Constituent Assembly polls.

In an exclusive interview with this daily, he said though some of the demands could be addressed after the CA polls, the government and the SPA should guarantee that their demands will be met after the polls. “Until now, nobody has talked to us. The talk of the talks is a propaganda,” he said, adding that the demands are not difficult for the government to meet.

The UMDF’s key demands include declaring all 45 people killed during the Madhes movement martyrs, proportional representation of marginalised groups in all sectors of governance, mass recruitment of Madhesis in the Nepal army, autonomy for Madhes and change in election laws so that the parties are not bound to be inclusive for at least 50 per cent of Constitutional Assembly seats.

As per the existing laws, political parties fielding for over 20 per cent of candidates for the CA polls must follow the rules of inclusiveness.

Asked about the possible infiltration of reactionary and cessationist forces in the UMDF to disrupt the CA polls, Thakur said it was not the individual but the UMDF that would matter and once the six-point demand was met, all the problems would be resolved. He maintained that their demand for autonomy was meant to take the region towards prosperity, not towards disintegration.

“We have not challenged the sovereignty of the nation,” Thakur clarified, adding all the people living in Madhes would be equally protected under One Madhes, One Prades (Province) and that was the main reason they were pushing the agenda of an autonomous region.

“We have not discriminated against anybody. All who live in the Tarai have common problems,” Thakur said and suggested that in the past the people of Madhes were exploited by monarchs but even after the people’s movement of 2006, the ruling parties tended to act like new monarchs and that led to the widening gulf between the seven party alliance and agitating Madhesi factions.

In order to ensure the peaceful CA polls, the government should make efforts to bring all armed outfits into the mainstream by making an honest effort. “But unfortunately that is lacking, government should not opt for using force to deal with them as it could lead to undesired results,” he said.

Asked if the vested interests of the front that might tend to exploit the people’s sentiment by lingering the issue and subsequently project themselves as saviour of the Madhesi cause could spoil the chance of a deal with the government, Thakur said that it was merely a propaganda.

He blamed the government for not implementing the agreement reached between the government and the Madhesi Janadhikar Forum (MJF Yadav).

Though the government terms the agitating factions’ demand genuine, nobody is making an honest effort to address their grievances, Thakur. “There is no change in the mindset of the ruling class,” he alleged.