Rajbiraj, January 20

Chairperson of Janamat Party CK Raut has accused Madhes-based parties of trading martyrs’ dreams for ministerial berths.

Speaking at an interaction organised by the party in Rajbiraj, Saptari, Raut said, “They say they are fighting for the rights of the Madhesi people but in reality they’re more invested in grabbing ministerial portfolios by joining the government.

Further, Raut said the number of votes the party had received during the recent by-election was respectable. “I had to spend most of the time in prison, so couldn’t give time for the expansion of the party. Despite that, whatever the votes we’ve got is not disheartening,” he said, instructing party cadres to focus on organisation building.

“As people in the Madhes don’t have much political awareness, we need to reach out to every nook and cranny here and educate people on the importance of elections,” he said.

Trying to distinguish his party from the Madhes-based parties, Raut said, “They (the Madhes-based parties) are pretty much into sign-secret deals and join-the-government business, but whatever deal we did with the government was a very clear one, done in the presence of journalists and many others. Our deal wasn’t done with a view to joining the government. The deal we signed even has the provision of referendum on the issue of Madhes, should the people here so wish. Therefore, our deal hasn’t let the Madhes down.”

“I wonder how the Socialist Party could bring itself to join the government led by a man they banned from entering the Madhes once and compelled five Madhesi youths to lose their lives. Also how come Rastriya Janata Party-Nepal played footsie with the party and strike an alliance for the National Assembly election. These parties have disrespected the Madhesi populace and the martyrs by these acts,” he remarked.