Despite leaders claiming that a tentative deal would be reached before January 19, negotiations between taskforces of major political parties and the Samyukta Loktantrik Madhesi Morcha failed on Monday, with a member of the SLMM taskforce even saying that “there is no point sitting in talks” and that the Madhes-based parties might not sit for dialogue now onwards.

Earlier on Monday, during a meeting of major political parties, top leaders had expressed reservations about Morcha’s demand that major parties “should be specific” about carving out two provinces in the Tarai.  

The Madhesi Morcha has been saying that two states in the Tarai-Madhes should be explicitly mentioned in the terms of reference of the proposed political mechanism.

The major forces and agitating parties had agreed, in principle, to form a high-level political mechanism for redrawing provincial boundaries. During the meeting of major parties, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and UCPN (Maoist) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal were said to be not convinced by the Morcha’s demand of two province in the Tarai-Madhes.  

We are not convinced by Madhes-based parties’ “intention to press for two provinces in the Tarai”, said a leader from the ruling party.

Hridayesh Tripathi, vice-chair of the Tarai Madhes Loktantrik Party and a member of the SLMM taskforce, said, “We were surprised to see ruling parties coming up with an idea that is just opposite to our demand.”

 “The ruling parties and the Nepali Congress were against our demands; they even refused to just mention [in the terms of reference of the political mechanism] that two provinces ‘will be carved out’ in the Tarai-Madhes region, let alone writing ‘there will be two provinces’,” added Tripathi, accusing the major parties of making a volte face. “So we have decided not to sit in talks now onwards.”

After the Morcha submitted its six-point demand on Sunday, taskforce members of the major parties had held a meeting with their top leadership.

In the six-point demand, the Morcha had asked the major parties to give statutory status to the high-level political mechanism. Similarly, the agitating parties have also stressed that all relevant reports on state restructuring, including the report of the State Restructuring Commission and Devolution of State Power Committee of the first Constituent Assembly, should be taken into account while revising the federal boundaries. The agitating parties have also demanded that those killed in the Tarai protests be given the status of martyr.

UCPN (Maoist) Vice-chairman Narayan Kaji Shrestha, who was present during Monday’s meeting, said that they have received the Morcha’s six-point demand and that the top leadership is scheduled to meet on Tuesday for discussions.