Kathmandu, June 3:

President of the Madhesi Janadhikar Forum Upendra Yadav today criticised the Maoists for their inability to forge a consensus to form a government, but said the former rebels should not be pushed into a corner.

Speaking at a press conference here, Yadav said, “The need of the hour is to successfully manage the conflict and not to push the Maoists into a corner, as they have not been fully disarmed yet.”

He said other parties needed to take the Maoists into confidence and pursue a policy to democratise and disarm the ex-rebels.

“This may be difficult but is not impossible,” he told this daily, adding that the Maoist would have to ultimately go for simple majority to form or oust the government.

“But the Maoists are not showing earnest willingness to form a unity government. They should be ready to amend the provision of two-third majority, as that is the root of current deadlock,” Yadav said and criticised the Maoists for claiming two key posts — president and prime minister.

He urged the Maoists to take the Nepali Congress and the CPN-UML into confidence.

Yadav said they could co-work with the next government if the 22-point and eight-point agreements signed between the Madhesi parties and the government became part of a fresh understanding.

Responding to a journalist’s query, he said, “The emancipation of Madhesis will not be possible without an autonomous Madhes. Federalism strengthens a country. If federalism were bad, several countries would have been carved out of the US long ago.”

MJF’s joint-president Jay Prakash Gupta read out a two-page press release and informed the press of the party’s recent decisions.

According to the release, the MJF has demanded immediate initiatives for group-wise recruitment of Madhesis in all sectors of governance, including the security organs.

MJF has demanded to conduct a scientific census to know the exact population of Madhesis and to form a high-level commission to facilitate proportional representation of Madhesis in different organs of the government.

The release also asked the Maoist leaders to quit the People’s Liberation Army posts before going to power, rein in the Young Communist League, return all seized property and adjust PLA personnel based on consensus.

The central committee of the party that ended yesterday has reshuffled the party’s organisational structure.

Accordingly, Gupta is the joint-president who will also head the organisation department and Bijay Kumar Gachhadar is ‘senior leader’ of the party.

Gachhadar will also head parliamentary department of the party While Yadav has taken charge of school and training department, Shyamanad Suman has been made head of international department.