National
SLMM mulling ‘mega alliance’ to up the ante
Likely to join hands with other Madhes-based parties to step up protestsAfter Parliament on Saturday voted to amend the four-month-old constitution, the agitating Samyukta Loktantrik Madhesi Morcha is finding itself in some sort of a dilemma. The Morcha is now scrambling to join hands with another agitating front in the Tarai to reinvigorate its more than five-month-old protests, which are of late losing the steam.
The SLMM, an alliance of four Madhes-based parties, on Monday announced fresh but “soft protests”, but stopped short of saying anything about their border-centric programmes.
While announcing the protests, the Morcha had said it would need some more time to come up with its future course of action. Now it is also holding discussions with the Tarai Madhes Rastriya Abhiyan (TMRA), another front that is protesting in the Tarai, for forming a “mega alliance”.
Leaders from both sides said that discussions were underway to bring all the agitating parties together in order to mount additional pressure on the government.
The constitution was amended on Saturday in a bid to resolve long-drawn disputes with Madhes-based parties, but they have rejected the move, saying it failed to address their concerns.
The TMRA, led by Jay Prakash Prasad Gupta, includes Tarai Madhes Rastriya Abhiyan, Rastriya Madhes Samajbadi Party, Nepal Sadbhawana Party and Madhesi Janaadhikar Forum-Ganatantrik (MJF-G).
Rajendra Mahato, chairman, Sadbhawana Party
Rajendra Mahato, chairman of Sadbhawana Party, a constituent of the SLMM, and Gupta, who heads MJF-G, on Tuesday held discussions in Biratnagar. “Discussions are heading towards positive direction,” Mahato said. “Leaders from both sides have reached an understanding to jointly launch stern protests.”
Mahato has long been lobbying to bring the two sides together, but efforts in the past had failed to materialise, largely due to differing opinions within the Morcha.
According to sources, past efforts to make an alliance with other fringe Madhes-based parties had failed due to resistance from the Sanghiya Samajbadi Forum Nepal (SSFN), Tarai Madhes Loktantrik Party (TMLP) and Tarai Madhes Sadbhawana Party (TMSP)—the other three constituents of the Morcha.
SSFN Chairman Upendra Yadav, who had earlier opposed the idea, told the Post that unity among the agitating parties has become a necessity now to take the protests forward. “We have reached an understanding to go together. But it will take time as several issues remain to be settled,” Yadav added.
The SLMM and TMRA though have similar demands, there are some differences between them when it comes to protest strategies. Gupta’s party lacks representation in Parliament but three other parties in the front led by him have five lawmakers. Despite receiving considerable support on the ground, TMRA leaders failed to receive enough attention from the government during negotiations.
On the ground, the two fronts are seen as rivals fighting to appease their constituencies.