'Former PM Oli playing mischief in Nepal politics'

As Nepal continues to be in political ferment with the Madhes-based parties upset over their demand for amending the Constitution not being met, some prominent Nepali politicians feel the entire situation is due to the "mischief" of former Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli who is acting as a "stumbling block" and pushing the country towards unrest.

"Oli is still acting as a stumbling block to amending the Constitution, and though he is out of power he continues to follow his old game plan. Right now in Nepal, all political exits have been blocked by the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist Leninist) of which K P Oli is president," Sarvendra Nath Shukla, General Secretary of Terai Madhesh Democratic Party, said on the sidelines of an international conference in Morocco.

Anand Prasad Dhungana, an MP of the Nepali Congress, which is part of the ruling coalition, said "Oli is doing mischief". "Like Germany was divided, there is now an attempt to break Nepal by the ugra rashtrawad (ultra nationalists)... We want that in the constituent assembly the constitution made be accepted and the country is taken to the path of progress. But the UML (Oli's party) wants to play the divisive card," the Nepali politician said on the sidelines of the Crans Montana Forum on Africa and South-South Cooperation. According to both Nepali politicians, it was Oli's party that had put forward the proposal for two provinces for Madhes in the Terai region and his party had signed on it. "But now they are totally opposing it, and did not allow the amendment bill to enter Parliament for six weeks even for discussion," said Shukla, a former Nepal minister.

"His aim is to oppose India... The proposals (for Madhes) he supported four times earlier, now he is opposing them, and calling it India's agenda," he added, whose party is part of the United Democratic Madheshi Front (UDMF) alliance.

Earlier this month, the UDMF pulled out of Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal's government, accusing it of failing to fulfil the party's demands, including endorsement for a revised Constitution amendment bill, and has threatened a fresh agitation in Nepal.