Chand urges govt to address demands of Madhes agitation

Kavre, January 12

Rastriya Prajatantra Party chairperson and former prime minister Lokendra Bahadur Chand today urged the government to ensure peace in the country by addressing the legitimate demands of the agitating Madhesi parties.

“Nepal is still suffering from the effects of the April 25 earthquake while the ongoing blockade has added to public woes.

It’s high time we did the needful to give respite to the people from this horrible and long nightmare, and ensure peace in the country,” said the RPP leader, addressing a four-day central-regional party training in Dulikhel, Kavre.

Describing the residents in the southern plains as stewards on the national frontier, Chand urged the government not to flinch from addressing the legitimate demands of the agitating Madhesis.

“The government and the agitating parties are holding meaningful talks to find a solution to the present crisis. We’re all eager to do the needful to help,” he said.

Also, attributing the blockade and present crisis to the misunderstanding between Nepal and India, he criticised the southern neighbour for causing trouble despite the long-held religious, cultural and political ties between the two countries.

He also argued that the Madhes crisis wouldn’t have emerged if the constitution was promulgated a couple of weeks later.

“It’s unfortunate that no sooner the major parties adopted the constitution, than they were overwhelmed with amendment proposals,” he said.

The training is scheduled to run till Thursday and has a participation of 60 party leaders as well as cadres of 19 districts of the region.