Kathmandu, May 12:

Leaders of the Madhesi Janadhikar Forum, Tarai Madhes Democratic Party and Sadbhawana Party met Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala and other leaders of the Nepali Congress to discuss contemporary political issues.

MJF coordinator Upendra Yadav, SP chairman Rajendra Mahato and TMDP leader Hridayesh Tripathi were among the prominent figures to lead the team of their respective parties. PM Koirala, Dr Shekhar Koirala, Minendra Rijal and Bimalendra Nidhi took part in the meeting on behalf of NC.

According to Mahato, Madhesi leaders urged the NC to pave the way for Maoists to lead the next government. They also underlined the need to amend the constitution to incorporate the provision of simple majority to form or oust the government, and to prepare the agenda of the first CA meet. According to Mahato, NC leaders shared similar views on most of the issues. MJF coordinator Upendra Yadav said they told the NC leaders to form a task force to identify and expedite constitutional amendment.

“We told them that the seven-party alliance is not valid anymore and there should 25-party alliance, not SPA,” he said, adding larger representation in the alliance could check

the hegemony of a particular party.

According to Yadav, MJF asked the NC leaders to make PM Koirala resign from the government, as the party had lost mandate in the CA.

“We sought Koirala’s resignation, but the NC leaders said it’s a special case and that Koirala need not resign at this moment,” Yadav said. He added that despite Maoists’ strong opposition, an amendment to the interim constitution was necessary without which way out of the present political situation was not possible.

“The Maoists must go for amendment or else they will have to face resistance everywhere,” Yadav said, adding that a change in the existing constitution must take place during the first meeting of the CA.

Yadav said delay in forging consensus among the parties was delaying the preparation for the first CA meet. He said his party held dialogue with the Maoists as well but there was no meeting point between them as of today.

“We can support the Maoists only when they are positive on our demands, but we still differ on some issues. We want one Madhes but they want to carve three-four provinces out of it,” Yadav said.