Miscellaneous
Parties weigh 3 ways out of crisis
Four major parties are weighing three options to address the demands of the agitating Madhes-based parties and Tharu groups.Four major parties are weighing three options to address the demands of the agitating Madhes-based parties and Tharu groups.
The first option, according to cross-party leaders, is redrawing the federal map in a way that addresses the demands of the Tharus, Magars and the Tarai-based parties.
If the parties take this alternative, there will be two provinces in the plains: one from west of Nawalparasi and the other from Parsa to Morang. Three Tarai districts—Kanchanpur, Jhapa and Chitwan—will be in the Hill provinces. However, CPN-UML Chairman KP Oli and Nepali Congress Vice-chairman Ram Chandra Poudel are reluctant to make big changes in the current seven-province delineation.
The second option is to split the Tharu-dominated part of Kailali to be merged with a Madhes state—Province 5—as proposed by the Madhesi Janadhikar Forum-Loktantrik. The UCPN (Maoist) has also supported this proposal.
The third idea is entrusting a federal commission to take final decision on the alignment of the five disputed districts: Jhapa, Morang, Sunsari, Kailali and Kanchanpur. The constitution draft has a provision for federal commission to smoothen the rough edges of the federal blueprint.
Though the parties are exploring ways, there has been no agreement on any of the options. A meeting of the four parties on Thursday decided to scale up effort to address the demands of the protesting parties and groups.
The major parties need to reach an agreement within Saturday if there is to be a consensus. After the four-party meeting, NC Vice-president Poudel said the parties will try to address the demands by Saturday—the deadline to register amendment motions on the Constitution Bill. If there is no deal between the three parties and protesters, there will be difficulties in incorporating new issues in the draft.
In the meeting, MJF-Loktantrik Chairman Bijaya Kumar Gachhadar said confrontation would be inevitable if the constitution was promulgated without addressing the demands of the Tharus and Madhesis.
“There is consensus among the three parties to address the demands but they are not clear how to do it,” said Gachhadar.
As per the understanding, the parties will continue bilateral and multilateral talks on Friday as well. Besides, there would be informal talks with the agitating Madhesi/Tharu parties.
UCPN (Maoist) Vice-chairman Narayan Kaji Shrestha, however, is not optimistic about a cross-party deal. “We should try to promulgate a constitution owned up by all but the NC and the UML are not ready for it,” said Shrestha.
Earlier on Thursday, the parties had bilateral talks to discuss the crisis. Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal and senior leader Baburam Bhattarai met Prime Minister Sushil Koirala. There was separate dialogue between the UML and Maoist leaders.
“Even if they refuse to come to the negotiating table, we could address genuine demands and promulgate the constitution as per the schedule,” Dahal told Koirala. He urged the PM to take concrete steps to break the deadlock.
“Our chairman told Koirala that the demands of Madhesis, Tharus and Janajatis should be addressed without halting the constitution drafting process,” Dahal’s aide Chudamani Khadka told the Post.
As protests intensify in Tarai, NC leaders, particularly those from the region, have pressed the leadership to expedite talks with the disgruntled forces even by halting the CA process briefly.
NC General Secretary Krishna Prasad Sitaula, however, is firm that there should be dialogue only after constitution promulgation. Sitaula, who chairs the Constitution Drafting Committee, has urged NC CA members not to register amendment motions on the draft constitution.
Despite dissatisfaction, the rift inside the UML is not as visible. UML Chairman KP Oli has issued a stern message to CA members not to move against the draft constitution.
Speaking in Parliament, NC and UML CA members on Thursday urged their leaderships to settle the contentious issues through dialogue. They also objected to excessive use of force in Madhes to suppress the agitation.