The stalemate over Nepal’s new Constitution continued with talks between the government and the Madhesi Front ending inconclusively for a second day on Friday as both sides refused to budge from their stance. Talks between government representatives and the Madhesi Front ended inconclusively after both sides stuck to their demands while main opposition Nepali Congress did not participate in the meeting.
“Nepali Congress did not participate in the talks as the party had preferred to hold talks with senior Madhesi leaders before taking part in the tripartite meeting between the government, the front and the Nepali Congress,” said Prakash Man Singh, the party’s general secretary. Nepali Congress president Sushil Koirala held talks with Mahantha Thakur, president of Terai Madhes Democratic Party, on issues relating to the ongoing political crisis facing the country and to break the deadlock.
Nepal is reeling under severe scarcity of essential goods due to a blockade of border points as a result of the protests by Madhesis, Indian-origin inhabitants of Nepal’s Terai region, over division of their ancestral homeland in the new Constitution. Hectic political consultations are being held between major political parties in Nepal after the Joint Democratic Madhesi Front leaders returned from India where they held consultations with leaders of the ruling and opposition parties regarding the ongoing crisis in Nepal.