Leaders from the ruling parties said that there are no grounds for giving continuity to the ongoing blockade as parliament has already made amendments to the new constitution to address the demands of the agitating Madhesi parties.
Parliament on Saturday amended the new constitution to ensure proportional inclusive representation in state organs for the various groups, and to give first priority to population and second priority to geography as the basis for delineating the electoral constituencies. These constitutional changes were made as demanded by the agitating parties, though the latter have termed it incomplete.
"I don't think this situation will be prolonged further because there are no grounds at all for giving continuity to it," Minister for Law and Justice Agni Kharel told Republica.
Also, other officials at the prime minister's office expressed optimism about the ending of the present crisis soon.
Prime Minister's Chief Advisor Bishnu Rimal said he was "cautiously optimistic".
"I am optimistic because we have created enough grounds for ending the blockade but I am still waiting to become fully confident because the results are yet to be seen," said Rimal.
Other officials at the prime minister's office believed that the situation will improve because relations with the Indian government have improved significantly, mainly following the constitutional amendment, which came as a major push from the Indian establishment.
The Indian government described the constitutional amendment as a positive delopment toward ending the political crisis. Earlier, India had welcomed the decision of the Nepal government to move forward the constitution amendment bill.
"We had received direct and indirect suggestions from various quarters to effect the constitutional amendment, saying that such a move would create a favroble situation for ending the ongoing crisis," said a minister requesting anonymity. "Now, we have done it and there is no excuse for prolonging the crisis."
Also, leaders from the agitating Madhesi parties on Tuesday indicated that they might change the nature of their protests.
"It is true that people have suffered for long. We may review our position in the days to come in the same way that we opened the entry of medicines in the past," said Mahendra Ray Yadav, chairman of Tarai-Madhes Sadbhavana Party, at a function in Kathmandu. He said they are yet to take any decision as top leaders from the agitating Madhesi parties are at present outside Kathmandu.
"We will hold a meeting on February 1 and decide about the next course," he said.
Jitendra Sonal, general secretary of Tarai-Madhes Democratic Party (TMDP), said the Madhesi parties may change the nature of their protests if the Madhesi people, who have been supporting them in their agitations for months, stand for the change. "We will now go to the Madhesi people and take their suggestions. We may change the nature of the protests if the people so suggest," Sonal told Republica.
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