Kathmandu, January 5

Agitating United Democratic Madhesi Front today formed a three-member task force to hold talks with the government and the main opposition party on its 11-point demands.

The task force, however, does not include any representative from the Sadbhawana Party, one of the constituents of the UDMF.

Rajendra Mahato-led SP has already announced separate agitation programmes, stating that it won’t hold talks with the government unless it apologises for ‘police attack’ on its chairman, who is receiving treatment in New Delhi.

The UDMF had told the meeting held on Sunday that the front would decide about forming the task force after discussing the matter with its constituents.

According to Hridayesh Tripathi, vice-chairperson of the Tarai Madhes Democratic Party, the task force of the UDMF includes Co-Chair of the Federal Socialist Forum-Nepal Rajendra Shrestha, senior leader of Tarai Madhes Sadbhawana Party Ram Naresh Yadav and Tripathi himself.

FSF-Nepal Co-Chair Shrestha said the UDMF’s task force would hold talks with task force formed by the government and the Nepali Congress, the main opposition party, as soon as they prepared their common stance on the front’s 11-point demands.

He claimed that SP would also name its representative for the task force soon.

Shrestha added that the meeting of the top guns of the UDMF would be held after a few days to dwell on the front’s agitation plans.

The task force of major parties includes UML Vice-Chairman, Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Bhim Rawal, Unified CPN-Maoist General Secretary Krishna Bahadur Mahara and Nepali Congress leader Mahesh Acharya.

Acharya said the task force formed by the three major parties would begin discussion on the UDMF’s demands on Wednesday.

He claimed that he held informal talks with the Madhesi leaders today.