National
Madhes alliance will form govt in Province 2: Mahato
Rajendra Mahato, a presidium member of the Rastriya Janata Party Nepal (RJP-N), has said that the Madhes alliance will form the government in Province 2 and continue its struggle for constitution amendment.Rajendra Mahato, a presidium member of the Rastriya Janata Party Nepal (RJP-N), has said that the Madhes alliance will form the government in Province 2 and continue its struggle for constitution amendment.
Of the total 32 parliamentary seats in Province 2, the Madhes-centric parties RJP-N and Federal Socialist Forum Nepal (FSF-N) secured 10 seats each in the recently held federal parliament and province assembly elections.
Speaking at an interaction programme organised by the Reporters’ Club Nepal in the Capital on Wednesday, Mahato said: “The Madhes alliance will form the government in Province 2, and the government will move ahead carrying the agenda of Madhesi rights, constitution amendment and development of Tarai-Madhes.” Mahato defeated Nepali Congress leader Bimalendra Nidhi in the federal parliament election in Dhanusha-3.
He, however, made it clear that the government formation in Province 2 was not their top priority.
“We have been fighting for amendment since the promulgation of constitution. The constitution should be revised as per the aspiration of people so that it could meet the demands of Madhesis, Dalits, Muslims and indigenous people. And we will continue to press for this,” Mahato said.
Stating that the chief minister of Province 2 would be chosen on consensus with the FSF-N, Mahato also hinted at the possibility of unification between the RJP-N and the FSF-N. “People’s mandate is in favour of the Madhes alliance. The two parties could unite in near future,” he said, adding that the two sides are holding discussions on the matter. “Unification process with the FSF-N will be initiated very soon.”
Mahato also clarified that he had not held any conversation with CPN-UML Chairman KP Oli about the government formation. The formation of a new government has been delayed due to a dispute over National Assembly election ordinance. The unification process between the UML and Maoist Centre remains uncertain as scepticism and mistrust grows among the left alliance constituents. Oli is said to have held back door negotiation with FSF-N Chair Upendra Yadav about the formation of new government, though it did not go well.
But Mahato said that the Madhes-centric parties would not let themselves to be used as pawn for formation of a new government. “Three parties—UML, Maoist Centre and NC—jointly brought the constitution, disregarding the sentiments of Madhesi people. Our struggle is for the rights of Madhesi people. The Madhes-centric parties will not have any role in government formation. But if they assure us their support to our struggle, we will support them,” he said.