Kathmandu, April 19

Former president Ram Baran Yadav today said he fell short of creating a legacy in Nepali politics like late former premier Girija Prasad Koirala due to inability to resolve problems facing the Madhes while in power.

“(Former president of Nepali Congress) Koirala is remembered for bringing Maoists (who waged armed conflict for a decade) into mainstream politics,” said Yadav, who stepped down as the head of state after promulgating the new constitution in September. “I probably would have created (a legacy) had I been able to resolve the problems facing the Madhes.”

He was addressing an interaction organised by Nepal Economic Association, an umbrella body of the country’s economists.

Although the former president said his tenure was ‘successful’, he expressed regret at having failed to address problems facing the Madhes while in power, which led to blockade of Nepal-India border points, choking supplies of various essentials.

“I did ask the political parties to wait for at least 15 days before promulgating the new constitution. But I wasn’t able to convince the three major political parties,” he told the interaction.

He said Nepali politics was still in a transitional phase despite introduction of the new charter due to inability to assimilate a section of Madhesis in the constitution finalisation process.

The new constitution was endorsed by around 85 per cent of the Constituent Assembly members. Despite this majority, different Madhesi parties and groups had said they would not accept the new charter unless a number of their demands was addressed.

“We must first address issues facing the Madhes to ensure political stability,” the former president said, adding, “We should then hold local, provincial and federal elections.”

Stability in the Tarai is necessary because it is not only the nation’s grain basket but a major gateway from where imported goods arrive in this net-importing country.

One of the reasons why the country’s economic growth rate is expected to hit rock bottom this fiscal year is the blockade triggered by protests in the Madhes, which crippled supplies of daily essentials.