A UDMF taskforce has suggested to the Madhesi leaders to take a common stance on the peace process, constitution writing and state restructuring. [break]
“It will be meaningless to promulgate the new constitution without first concluding the peace process,” Nandan Kumar Dutta, deputy parliamentary party leader of Madhesi People´s Right Forum-Republican (MPRF-R), who is also a member of the taskforce, told Republica.
The taskforce has also suggested to the Madhesi leaders not to make any compromises against a democratic constitution.
Dutta said the taskforce has emphasized that the new constitution must incorporate universally-accepted principles of human rights, press freedom, independent judiciary and periodical election.
Similarly, the taskforce has suggested to the UDMF leadership to either opt for a reformed parliamentary system, in which no party can table a no-confidence motion against the prime minister more than once or to accept a model of government in which the president is the directly elected head of the state and the prime minister the executive head elected by parliament.
The taskforce has also taken a strong exception to the agreement between the major three political parties with regard to constituting a state restructuring commission. It termed the move as a conspiracy against federalism and the new constitution.
The taskforce has demanded formation of an autonomous Madhesh province with a right to self-determination or two separate Madhes provinces -- namely Tharuhat and Madhesh state.
The Madhesi leaders have said that forming a state without the right to self-determination would be meaningless.
The UDMF which comprises Madhesi People´s Right Forum-Democratic, UDMF-R, Tarai Madhesh Democratic Party (TMDP), Sadabhawana Party and Tarai Madhesh Democratic Party-Nepal has vowed to stand united on all these issues.
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