Kathmandu, November 16:

Minister for Local Development Ram Chandra Jha said today that the government was doing its bit to nominate representatives in the civic bodies by mid-December.

Speaking at an interaction organised here, the minister said the government was discussing modalities to make civic bodies inclusive by ensuring the participation of all parties represented in the Constitution Assembly.

“We will try to forge consensus on the issue soon,” the UML leader added.

Jha, who is also the coordinator of the team formed to hold talks with the armed Tarai outfits,

said the government would probably hold talks with the outfits within this month.

“The door for the talks cannot be opened for long because the matter is related to the law and order situation in the country,” Jha said.

He further added that the government had established contacts with around a dozen armed groups operating in Tarai.

Minister Jha also said that the talks would probably be held in Janakpur.

He also made it clear that the government would never heed to the demands of splitting the nation.

“However, we are ready to discuss why some outfits reached to the extreme point,” he said, referring to the Jay Krishna Goit-led Janatantrik Tarai Mukti Morcha (JTMM). Jha also said that the JTMM led by Jwala Singh was positive for talks.

“We are open for both separate and group talks,” the minister said, adding that the government would guarantee security for the members of talks team.

He also criticised Maoist leader Matrika Prasad Yadav for labelling him as an Indian national.