Kathmandu, June 30

Voices are growing within the Rastriya Janata Party-Nepal to withdraw support extended to the Sher Bahadur Deuba-led government but party leaders said the party would take a decision only after weighing options carefully.

RJP-N leader Brikhesh Chandra Lal told THT that although his party leaders were frustrated with the government for not fulfilling the pledge of amending the constitution and increasing the number of local levels in Madhes in proportion to the population of the region, the party would, however, not take any decision in haste.

“There is a voice in our party that we should withdraw support to the government. There is anger in Madhes against the government for mobilising Nepali Army and using excessive force against our party cadres,” Lal said.

RJP-N leader added that the party would debate all their strategies in the next meeting before taking any decision.

He said people of Madhes appreciated  RJP-N for keeping its political agenda alive and the party was determined to live up to the expectations of Madhesis. “The RJP-N faces challenges of rallying support of all like-minded forces but it cannot surrender its political agenda,” he added.

Another RJP-N leader, Manish Kumar Suman, said, “This government appears to be interested more in holding elections than ensuring that all stakeholders accept the new constitution.” “The government mobilised Nepali Army in Tarai districts creating terror in the minds of public.”

He said RJP-N would continue to boycott all elections till its demands were met.

“The government should know that RJP-N is not just a party but a major force in Madhes and elections without its participation will be meaningless,” Suman added.

He said his party would   disrupt local level polls scheduled to be held on September 18 in Province 2 if the government failed to fulfil the party’s demands.

RJP-N leader Keshav Jha said there was an opinion in the party that they should serve an ultimatum of at least one month before withdrawing support to the government.

“This government had pledged to increase the number of local levels in Madhes before the second phase of local level polls, to withdraw false charges against RJP-Nepal cadres and to grant martyrdom status to those who were killed. But it has fulfilled none of these demands. However, this does not mean that our party will take a decision against the government in haste,” he said.