Nepal: SPA, Madhesis meet ends inconclusively

Kathmandu, Jul 8: A meeting between the top leaders of the Seven-Party Alliance (SPA) and the leaders of the Madhesi parties here on the draft of the supplementary amendment bill has ended without producing any result.

The meeting ended inconclusively on Monday July 7, after Madhesi leaders objected to the plural term 'autonomous Madhes provinces', proposed by the seven parties in the draft bill. The seven-party leaders, on the other hand, said they were not ready to mention a single 'autonomous Madhes province' in the Constitution.The two sides have also differed on the issue of Madhesi representation in the Nepal Army.

While the Madhesi parties reiterated their demand for "proportionate representation" of Madhesis in the Nepal Army, the seven parties said they were against the proportional representation, but in favour of making the army an inclusive organisation.

CPN-UML general secretary C.P Mainali informed that the Nepali Congress and the CPN (Maoist) haven't shown any clear stance on the demand for proportionate representation in the army, but the UML and other allies are clearly against this demand.

"The SPA leaders proposed some new provisions and terminology in the supplementary bill and these were completely against the wishes of the Madhesi people," said Madhesi People's Rights Forum Chairman Upendra Yadav.

Yadav said the proposed supplementary bill, did not mention any Madhes autonomous province and also did not address the demand of group entry into the army for Madhesis.

"The provision for 'making the army inclusive of all groups including Madhesis, and others as determined by law' which was proposed in the draft bill prepared by the SPA cannot address our demand," he said.

Yadav claimed the provision was clearly a move to betray the Madhesi people as there is no such law in the country, Nepalnews reported.

ANI