Kathmandu, January 31:

Madhesi Janadhikar Forum leader Sharat Singh Bhandari today asked the government to immediately withdraw the decision to establish Integrated Administrative Service Centre in several districts, including the one in Bardibas of Mahottari.

He also warned that his party would pull out of the government if the issue was not addressed at the earliest.

Speaking at an interaction organised by the Joint Civic Struggle Committee, Jaleshwor, at the Reporters’ Club today, the MJF senior leader said the government had attacked on the

emotional and psychological sentiments of the Madhesi people. He accused the government of not taking the protests being held in Jaleshwor, the district headquarters of Mahottari, for the past 15 days against the government decision.

Bhandari argued that the government should withdraw the decision as in the case of appointment of new priest in the Pashupati temple. He urged for the establishment of the centres on legal basis, not as forceful imposition of unilateral decision. He his party would add the issue of service centres in its agenda.

The MJF leader asked the government to live up to the commitment it made on February 28 last year.

Bhandari also said recruitment in the army was a regular process.

CA member Hari Narayan Yadav said the government was deviated from the task of drafting the constitution and ensuring peace and security in the country and was promoting impunity in the society. He termed the decision on administrative service centres impractical, untimely and undemocratic.

Warning of tougher protests unless the decision was rolled back, Yadav said it was irresponsible to establish the service centres before carving out federal states.

Ram Kumar Sharma of the Tarai Madhes Democratic Party said the government was inclined to be authoritarian and was taking unconstitutional decisions. He said that the decision was against Self Governance Act-1999 and the aspirations of the Madhesi people.

Sharma also said that the prime minister had assured his party of reviewing the decision.

A December 28 cabinet meeting had decided to set up 52 service centres across the

county to cater to people living in places far away from district headquarters.

The residents of current district headquarters, specially in the Madhes region including Jaleshwor, are suspecting that the establishment of the service centres could be a bid to minimise the role of the headquarters and ultimately shift the headquarters to the places where the service centres have been proposed.

NC supports Jaleshwor protests:

Kathmandu: The Nepali Congress today objected to the police oppression of peaceful protests by locals in Jaleshwor.Jaleshwor locals have been protesting the government’s decision to shift some government offices from Jaleshwor to Bardibas to set up an integrated administrative service centre there.

Issuing a press statement, the NC urged the government not to decide on the matter without an all-party consensus. Earlier today, an all-party delegation from Mahottari met NC president Girija Prasad Koirala and informed him about their cause.

“NC expresses serious objection to the decision to upset the cordial relation subsisting among the people of the hills and the plains,” the release stated. — HNS