Kathmandu, June 25

Leader of the agitating United Democratic Madhesi Front Laxman Lal Karna today said the front wanted all major parties, including the main opposition Nepali Congress party, to be included in the government’s talks team.

Karna, a leader of the Sadbhawana Party, said that their demands could not be addressed by the government alone. “As our demands are political, the government would need the approval of all the parties, including the opposition, to address them,” he said.

He said government should create the environment for talks by making clear its stance on the demands put forth by the UDMF. Karna further said that the UDMF would launch stern protests if the government failed to address their demands by mid-July.

Commenting on the UDMF’s fresh demand, NC leader Prakash Saran Mahat said his party was holding discussions with the agitating parties regarding the latter’s demands and were always ready to take the initiative to resolve their issues. Mahat accused the government of being indifferent towards UDMF’s demands.

He said his party could not be a part of the government’s current talks team, but said it would join the team if other parties were also incorporated in the team to hold talks with the agitating UDMF.

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli’s political adviser Bishnu Rimal said the UDMF should make it clear with whom it wants to hold talks. “The government is always ready for talks. If they want a separate political mechanism comprising all major parties, we could also form that. But they should make their wish clear,” he said. Rimal claimed that although the the government had been doing whatever the agitating front wanted, the latter was unnecessarily lingering the issue.

He further said that the government was always ready to fulfill their genuine demands.