Kathmandu, July 24:

Politburo member of Communist Party of India-Marxist Sitaram Yechuri said today that India would be ready to assist Nepal in controlling “criminalisation” of political issues in Tarai.

“I believe that India would be ready to help Nepal to control criminalisation in Tarai. India will assist in the way Nepal asks India,” he said, addressing a programme at Reporters’ Club today.

He also said that the problem of the Tarai is also a problem of India and India will always help Nepal solve it.

“There is no chance of Tarai’s separation, as someone has claimed. India has been against any kind of separation and, I would like to remind you that it is not going to be beneficial for anybody,” he said.

He also said that the groups in the Tarai would still be called for talks and solutions should be found through talks, as resolution of the Tarai problem is important for free and fair election of constituent assembly.

“All efforts should be done by the government to bring the agitating factors in the Tarai for talks for they should be ready to participate in the election,” he said, adding that participation of the Tarai groups in the election is equally important as they will have to be judged by the people for the assembly.

Yechuri warned of a polarisation between those democratic forces and anti-democratic forces. “On the one hand, the democratic forces, made of the alliance among eight parties and others, is going to be the foundation of the democratic current.

On the other, the anti-democratic forces, which do not want to have the election held, are also working actively. In this situation, the people’s voice is going to be decisive,” he said.