Birgunj, February 17:

Chairman of the Madhesi Janaadhikar Forum (MJF) Upendra Yadav said today that the Madhes movement was not targeted against the Pahadi people.

Demanding representation in the government and administration on the basis of population, Yadav sought 50 per cent participation of the Madhesi people in the Nepal Army.

The Tarai movement was launched against the 237-year-old centralised system of the state, he said at a gathering organised at the Ghantaghar Chowk.

“The Tarai movement has been launched for the freedom of the Madhesi people,” he said, adding, “It is essential to end the rule of the non-Madhesi people in the Tarai.” “Introduction of a federal system is the main agenda of the movement.”

Blaming the rulers for “depriving the Madhesi people of civilian rights and turning them into refugees of sorts, he reiterated the need to declare the Tarai an “autonomous region”.

“The eight parties turned ‘His Majesty’s Government’ into ‘Nepal Government’ without any constitution. Now the parties are pretending to amend the interim constitution to address Madhesi people’s demands.”

He reiterated that the MJF will not sit for talks until Home Minister Krishna Prasad Sitaula resigns.