KATHMANDU, JUNE 7
The Democratic Socialist Party-Nepal submitted an 11-point charter of demands to Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba today, urging him to pass the citizenship bill and release party cadres arrested during the Madhes and Tharu movements.
The DSP-N move comes amidst talk of Deuba seeking to induct Mahantha Thakur-led party into his Cabinet. Thakur, accompanied by other leaders, including Sharat Singh Bhandari, Rajendra Mahato, Chanda Chaudhary, and Sarvendranath Shukla, submitted the 11-point memorandum to the PM.
The party has demanded that the children of citizens by birth be immediately granted citizenship by descent and the current provision governing the process of matrimonial naturalisation continue to exist.
It asked the government to withdraw false cases slapped against party leaders and cadres during the Madhes/Tharuhat movement.
The party urged the government to immediately release 'political prisoner' Resham Chaudhary and to amend the constitution to address identity questions of Madhesis, indigenous nationalities, Dalits, women, Tharus, and Muslims.
The party has also demanded that representation in local, provincial, and federal legislature be based on population. It has also asked the government to implement the principle of equitable budget on the basis of population density.
The DSP-N has also demanded that the government make public the Girish Chandra Lal Commission report on killings during Madhes agitation and implement the agreement signed between the government and the United Democratic Madhesi Front.
The party has also demanded that the government ensure free and fair elections, provide seeds and fertilisers to farmers on time, and control inflation.
It has also demanded that the government give priority to Madhesis, Tharus, Janajatis, Dalits, and Muslims in land distribution programmes.
DSP-N leader Rajendra Mahato told THT that the PM said he would try to pass the citizenship bill from the current session of Parliament and would also address the party's other demands.
Mahato said his party submitted the memorandum to Deuba because despite pledging to address his party's demands during the formation of the government, the PM did not do anything about it. "We submitted the memorandum to the PM to remind him of our demands,"
Mahato said.
Asked if his party would join the Deuba-led government, Mahato said the party could think if the PM made such a proposal and addressed the party's key concerns.
Mahato said his party would contest elections as a coalition partner. "We will be a partner in one of the coalitions," he added.
There is a possibility that the Nepali Congress and the CPN-UML will continue to lead different coalitions in the provincial and parliamentary polls.
Mahato said that the Oli government had withdrawn 139 cases slapped against DSP-N cadres and leaders and the Deuba government needed to withdraw cases registered against party leaders and cadres.
"Our party cadres and leaders who have been lodged in jails on false charges are political prisoners and the state must deal with them as political prisoners," Mahato said, adding that the government must release them from jails and withdraw cases against them.
A version of this article appears in the print on June 8, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.
