Kathmandu, September 16

Top Indian Officials today told CPN-UML Secretary Pradip Gyawali, who is visiting New Delhi, as special envoy of party Chair KP Sharma Oli, that India was concerned about unrest in the Tarai as it could have spillover effect on the other side of the border.

Gyawali met India’s National Security Advisor Ajit Kumar Doval, Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar and Chief of North Desk of Ministry of External Affairs Abhay Thakur and told them that the doors for talks with protesting parties were still open.

“Winning the confidence of those who quit the CA process would give a good message to the public,” Gyawali quoted the Indian authorities as saying. Gyawali said he told Indian authorities that the major parties felt the urgent need to promulgate the constitution soon or else there was a danger that the political gains achieved so far, might be lost. Gyawali said the constitution was a dynamic document wherein amendments were always possible.

The UML leader told THT over phone that he told the Indian authorities that the parties would continue their efforts to address the concerns of protesting parties through constitutional amendment. He also told them that a Federal Commission to be formed would try to sort out some issues of federalism.

Gyawali said Indian authorities’ concern about the spillover effect of Tarai unrest was not unnatural. Gyawali said the Indian authorities had the impression that the major parties had not cared to address dissenting voices, particularly the concerns of the Madhesi parties, but he clarified that the major parties had tried their best and they would continue to do that. “I tried to clarify about the situation. I told them the ground reality,” Gyawali said, and added that he told the Indian authorities that it was urgent to promulgate the constitution and that the parties had no intention of ignoring the disgruntled groups.

“I told them that the CA has representation of more than 30 parties and bringing all of them on board the constitution making process, had proved difficult,” Gyawali said. He said Indian authorities, including former Indian Ambassadors to Nepal – KV Rajan, Shiv Shankar Mukherjee and Jayant Prasad — whom he met today, expressed happiness over the progress the Constituent Assembly had made thus far. Indian authorities also told Gyawali that India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi was closely monitoring Nepal’s constitution making process and was encouraged by the developments.

He said Ambassador Prasad was of the view that the constitution might not be durable if it did not take into confidence the protesting Tharu and Madhesi forces. “Other ambassador were of the view that cent per cent consensus was not possible, but Prasad spoke on the lines of what he wrote in his article in The Hindu yesterday,” Gyawali added.