Madhesis, major parties form taskforce to end crisis in Nepal

Nepal’s agitating Madhesi Front and the three major parties on Tuesday formed a taskforce to find a common ground and narrow their differences over the new Constitution in a bid to end the political crisis and the shortage of essential goods due to prologed protests.

Hridayesh Tripathi of Terai Madhes Democratic Party, Rajendra Shrestha of Federal Democratic Forum Nepal and Ram Naresh Raya, senior leader of Terai Madhes Sadhbhawana Party, are the members of the taskforce.

However, Rajendra Mahato-led Sadbhawana Party, one of the constituents of the four-party United Democratic Madhesi Front (UDMF), has not been included in the panel.

Mahato was injured in a baton charge by police in Biratnagar last week; his party has announced fresh protest programmes, demanding apology for the attack on its chairman.

The major political parties -- Nepali Congress, CPN-UML and UCPN (Maoist) -- had on Sunday proposed to the UDMF a taskforce to find a common ground on demands put forth by the Madhesi leaders.

Madhesis, who share strong cultural and family bonds with Indians, demand a re-demarcation of provinces, fixing of electoral constituencies on the basis of population and proportional representation.

The major parties have appointed Mahesh Acharya of the Nepali Congress (NC), Bhim Rawal of the CPN-UML and Krishna Bahadur Mahara of the UCPN (Maoist) to the panel. The Sunday talks were attended by Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, NC president Sushil Koirala and UCPN-Maoist chairman 

Prachanda.