Kathmandu, December 18:

Maoist central leader Matrika Yadav today said the Madhes crisis can be resolved if the government “delved deeply” into the reason behind Mahantha Thakur’s resignation from the Nepali Congress.

At an interaction organised by Media Mission Nepal here today, Yadav argued that voices being raised in the Madhes should be dealt with on the basis of ideology, not guns. “Nepal Army, which could not defeat the Maoists, cannot fight even the Madhesis,” he said, warning of disaster if the army was deployed in the Tarai.

He ruled out the possibility of Constituent Assembly elections without an all-out proportional representation electoral system and declaring the country a republic.

NC leader Narahari Acharya said the people and the parties should give up the mentality of revulsion towards Madhesis to tackle the crisis. He said people should be given the right to decide the country’s future through CA polls, adding that announcing a republic by the parliament would merely be a political decision.

UML leader Keshab Badal said it would be foolish to try to resolve the crisis through guns. He said any slogan of disintegration would only boost the morale of the king. President of the Chure Bhawar Pradesh Ekata Samaj Keshab Mainali warned of taking up arms if any outfit talked about disintegration of the country.

MJF leader BP Yadav urged the government to address the issues through dialogue, not with guns.