Sanghiya Samajwadi Forum Nepal (SSFN) Chairman Upendra Yadav has defended the protest launched by the Federal Alliance in the Capital, claiming that the protest will strengthen the national unity.

The Federal Alliance, comprising Madhes-based political parties and Janajati groups, has launched the Kathmandu-centric protest against some provisions of the new constitution, staging demonstrations on a daily basis.

Speaking at the Reporter’s Club Nepal in the Capital on Sunday, Yadav said the protest aims to address aspirations of Madhesi, indigenous, Janajatis and other marginalised groups.

He said the agitating parties will not sit for talks until the KP Sharma Oli-led government decides to rewrite the constitution and implement the agreements reached with them. 

“The government is now trying to mislead the country and the people,” Yadav said, adding that rewriting the constitution is all about removing discriminatory and erroneous words from the charter and replacing them with suitable ones.  

Accusing the Oli government of taking a racist approach while addressing their demands, Yadav said, “Racist movements split India, Germany in the past. The KP Oli company should not think about imposing it.”

Despite its tall claims of promoting the national unity, the Oli government is holding a “Panchayat mentality” on the issue of nationality

Insisting that their demands are political, Yadav said they are waiting for a political call from the government. “But for all claims of inviting the agitating parties and groups to for talks, we have not received any such invitation from the government yet,” he clarified.  

He said that they have taken to the streets to protest the new constitution, which he claimed was described as incomplete also by former president Ram Baran Yadav and former prime ministers Baburam Bhattarai and Sushil Koirala. “The constitution belongs to all Nepalis and it should be rewritten to keep all Nepalis content,” the SSFN chairman said.

On efforts to get their demands addressed through talks, Yadav said that they were not running away from talks. “It was the prime minister himself who disrupted the dialogue,” he said, insisting that the agitating parties are seeking ways to sort out political problems through political means.

Preparations on for TMLP convention

KATHMANDU: The Tarai Madhes Loktantrik Party has started preparations for the party’s first general convention scheduled for June 20-22 at Ramgram in  Nawal-parasi district. 

The party has formed around a dozen sub-committees to work on the leadership, organisational and political issues that would be discussed in the gathering of party leaders and cadres. 

In a statement on Sunday, the party said that party Vice-chairman Hridayash Tripathi would oversee the overall coordination, while 10 other committees have been formed under other top leaders. 

The Mahanta Thakur-led TMLP, the third largest Tarai-centric force after Sanghiya Samajwadi Forum-Nepal and Madhesi Janadhikar Forum Loktantrik, has not held a convention since 2007. 

The Tarai-centric parties are under increasing pressure to hold the general convention fearing action from the Election Commission. The commission has warned of scrapping the registration of many Madhes-centric parties due to delays in holding the general convention. (PR)