Kathmandu, September 8

A meeting of three major parties — the Nepali Congress, the CPN-UML and the Unified CPN-Maoist — held on the premises of the Constituent Assembly today decided to make more attempts to bring the agitating Tharu and Madhesi parties on board the constitution drafting process and hold separate talks with them.

According to UCPN-M Chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal’s Personal Secretary Chudamani Khadka, the meeting of the three major parties called by Dahal after he met Mahantha Thakur, a leader of the United Democratic Madhesi Front, decided to invite Tharus and Madhesis for separate talks soon.

He said during his meeting with Thakur, who is also chairman of the Tarai Madhes Democratic Party, Thakur demanded that the parties should create an environment for talks by sending army to the barracks, putting an end to arrests of protesters and implementing past agreements signed with Madhesi and indigenous people.

According to Khadka, Dahal urged the Madhesi leaders to find a solution through talks, as there was still room for addressing their demands.

UCPN-M leader Narayan Kaji Shrestha said NC and UCPN-M were for trying their best to hold separate talks with agitating Tharus and Madhesis.TMDP leader Sarbendra Nath Shukla said his party discussed possible ways to address the agitators’ concerns.

Dahal also met UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli and discussed ways to address the demands of agitators.Earlier today, President Ram Baran Yadav urged Prime Minister Sushil Koirala to make all possible efforts to address the concerns of agitating parties as the constitution drafting process was at the final stage.

“The President met the prime minister, who briefed him about the ongoing agitation and the constitution drafting process. Yadav told the PM to make more attempts to address the concerns of the disgruntled groups,” Yadav’s Press Adviser Rajendra Dahal told mediapersons after the meeting between Yadav and Koirala at the former’s office in Shital Niwas this evening.

Yadav had expressed serious concern about the ongoing protests, mainly in the Tarai, and had urged Koirala to incorporate the agitators demands in the new constitution so that the new constitution could address the concerns of maximum number of people, said sources.

In response, Koirala told Yadav that he was still making attempts to bring the agitating parties to the talks table, although they had ignored his formal call for talks twice.