Sadbhawana Party Chairman Rajendra Mahato, who has extended his Delhi sojourn for medical reasons, has said that his party supports the agreement of joint taskforce comprising representatives of the government, the Samyukta Loktantrik Madhesi Morcha (SLMM) and the main opposition Nepali Congress on resolving the Tarai crisis.

The Sadbhawana Party has, however, refused to be a part of the taskforce in protest of the SLMM move not to call for an inquiry into attack on Mahato.

“It is not a big issue whether Sadbhawana Party is in the taskforce. The constituent parties of Madhesi Morcha are united on their agendas and position,” Mahato told the Post on Thursday, refuting suggestions that the Sadbhawana Party had quit the SLMM.  

Leader Mahato said that the joint taskforce could not make any headway on its

own unless the top leaders reached a political consensus. He suspected that the taskforce could be another ploy “to deceive Madhes and Madhesi people”.

He said that the NC and other parties had again failed to come with a clear roadmap though the constitution amendment process had gathered momentum.

“Even Congress does not seem like an opposition party on the issue of Madhes. I talked to the visiting Congress leader Ram Chandra Poudel today [Thursday] and urged him that his party come with a clear position regarding the issues of the Madhesi community,” he added.