The chairman of the Madeshi Peoples' Rights Forum (MPRF) has
said the forum was ready to sit for dialogue with Nepali
government, local leading media group's website eKantipur reported
on Thursday.
"Although PM's address hasn't completely addressed our issues,
we have taken his call for dialogue quite sincerely," Upendra Yadav
said, "It's up to the government to prepare proper environment for
dialogue. But our protests will continue until our issues are
settled through dialogue."
After an emergency meeting of MPRF on Wednesday evening, Upendra
Yadav made the remarks in response to Prime Minister Girija Prasad
Koirala's call for dialogue on Wednesday afternoon.
Upendra Yadav also said their demands for federal republic,
proportional representation on the basis of population, the Terai
as an autonomous region could "be settled on the dialogue
table".
Similarly, the indigenous groups took the PM's call for dialogue
positively, but said the remarks couldn't address the real issues
of the indigenous, Dalit (the untouchable in caste) and
marginalized people.
"We had demanded guarantee of our representation in the interim
constitution," said Pasang Sherpa, chairman of Nepal Indigenous
Nationalities' Federation. "However, the PM's call for dialogue is
positive."
Nepal Sadbhawana Party, one of the protesting parties, has also
taken the PM's call for dialogue quite positively. But, the party,
in a statement issued Thursday said the address didn't tackle
issues of the Terai people.
"As the Terai communities are demanding amendment in the interim
constitution by including federal state structure, special national
census and structure of constituencies on the basis of population,
the PM's address hasn't clearly addressed them".
Welcoming Wednesday's Prime Ministerial address, various
political parties and organizations, urged the Madhesi groups to
immediately stop violent protests and come to the negotiating
table.
Prime Minister Koirala Wednesday announced to increase the
number of parliamentary constituencies from 205 to address the
demand for enhanced representation from Terai-centric political
outfits. He made it clear that no district would face seat-cut. He
also made a commitment to switch over to federal system once the
new constitution is drafted following constituent assembly polls.
Koirala invited the aggrieved parties to resolve the crisis through
talks.
The violent demonstrations, mainly led by MPRF, began on Jan.
19. MPRF claimed that one of its members was shot dead by a cadre
of the Communist Party of Nepal (formerly known as guerrilla). MPRF
activists later collided with policemen and locals, which has
claimed the lives of at least 10 people.
Many Terai towns witnessed curfews, strikes and widespread
vandalism of public and private property in the unrest.
The Madhesi activists have been demanding a federal structure of
the state, proportional system of elections and delimitation of
electoral constituencies based on population.
Madhesi people are people mainly living in Nepal's south Terai
plains with Indian origin.
(Xinhua News Agency February 1, 2007)
