By NNN-NepalNews
Kathmandu : A day after the government’s invitation to Madhesi groups for talks, Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala met some Madhesi leaders at Baluwatar Friday afternoon.
Though there was no concrete understating at the meeting, Prime Minister Koirala is learnt to have assured that he would respond to the demands of the Madhesi parties, after discussing with the coalition partner, by this evening.
The Madhesi leaders had met Koirala, seeking the government’s commitment to address the demands raised by the Madhesi people.
Mahantha Thakur, president of Terai-Madhes Loktantrik Party, Rajendra Mahato, president of Sadbhawana Party, and Sarbendra Nath Sukla represented the United Madhesi Democratic Front (UMDF), an alliance of three agitating Madhesi parties, at the meeting.
On Wednesday, peace and reconstruction minister Ram Chandra Poudel, who is also the coordinator of the government’s talk team, had formally invited the UMDF for talks by withdrawing the general strike.
Prime Minister Koirala has already hinted that the government would meet the demands of the Madhesi parties if they abided by their commitments to participate in the upcoming constituent assembly polls.
The Madhesi leaders are scheduled to meet the Prime Minister later in the evening. Accordingly, Koirala has cancelled his Biratnagar visit scheduled for this evening.
Meanwhile, Minister for Forest and Soil Conservation Matrika Prasad Yadav, speaking at an interaction at the Reporters Club in the capital Friday, stated the Constituent Assembly (CA) election would be ‘successfully’ held on the scheduled date even if ‘any individual or groups boycotts it’.
He also expressed confidence that ‘Mahanta ji and Rajendra ji’ – of the Terai Madhesh Democratic Party and Sadbhavana Party- Mahato faction respectively – won’t create any hindrances in efforts to secure the rights of the Madhesi people.
Similarly, talking at the same programme, spokesperson of Nepal Sadbhavana Party (Anandidevi) and member of the recently constituted government talks team Sarita Giri said the groups agitating in Terai have no option but to come to the negotiating table.
In the same vein, Nepali Congress leader Prakash Sharan Mahat defined the ongoing strike in the Terai as a ‘ploy to disrupt the CA election so as not to let the Madhesi people get their rights’. He also expressed alarm that the movement being waged in the name of Madhes was getting out of control.