Kathmandu, November 21:

Issues raised by various agitating groups in Madhes are associated with politics and they should be dealt with politically, leaders of various political parties said today. They said political issues should not be mixed with criminal activities.

Dr Minendra Rijal of the Nepali Congress said the political issues of Madhes could be resolved

permanently only after the election to the constituent assembly, noting that the state has already addressed some of the grievances even before the election.

Dr Rijal said the government had already addressed the citizenship problem in the Tarai by forming a commission and distributing citizenships to the people according to the commission report; increased the number of constituencies in accordance with the increment of population in the region and expressed commitment to go for a federal system after the constituent assembly.

“These are the important measures taken by the government to address the grievances of the Madhesi communities and other issues of inclusiveness can only be resolved after the constituent assembly election,” Dr Rijal said at an interaction programme at the Reporters’ Club.

He, however, stressed the need to control criminal activities that are rampant in the Tarai. He said the government must deal with the political groups politically, while take stern measures to control criminal activities with “support from the neighbouring country.”

A central committee member of the CPN-UML Raghubir Mahaseth accused the government of giving the least priority to addressing the grievances of the Madhesi people. Mahaseth said the grievances of the Madhesi people could be resolved through the adoption of a fully proportional system of election, proportional representation of the Madhesi and Janajatis in all state affairs and establishment of an autonomous Madhes with the right to self-determination.

Post Bahadur Bogati aka Diwakar, a Maoist leader, also backed Mahaseth’s view of autonomy with the right to self-determination to address the problem facing the Madhesi people. Bogati said the right to self-determination could also help resolve problems of other communities, which have also been calling for autonomy. Only increasing strength of security personnel in the Tarai would not help pacify the issues raised by the Madhesis, he said.