Senior leaders of the Tarai Madhes Democratic Party (TMDP), and Sadbhavana Party (SP) said that they had never sent Chairman of the Madhesi People´s Rights Forum-Democratic (MPRF-D) Gachchhadar to represent them in HLPC. “We have never taken any formal decision in this regard. We will strongly raise this issue in the UDMF meeting scheduled for July 8,” said SP General Secretary Manish Suman. [break]
Suman said that the constituent parties of UDMF would nominate a new leader to represent them in HLPC. “We no longer have any attachment with UDMF,” he said, adding, “We don´t even know if UDMF exists as not a single meeting of the alliance has been held over the last five months.”
TMDP, MPRF-D, MPRF-Republican, TMDP-Nepal and Sadbhavana Party are the five constituent parties of UDMF, a loose alliance of the Madhes-based parties. MPRF-Republican which is said to be preparing to join MPRF-D supports Gachchhadar as its leader.
While SP leaders were ambiguous about whom they wanted to see as UDMF coordinator, TMDP leaders clearly say they wish to see their party Chairman Mahantha Thakur as the coordinator by virtue of him being the senior-most Madhesi leader. “Gachchhadar should quit HLPC and leave the position to our Chairman Mahanth Thakur since he is the senior-most leader in Madhesi politics,” said TMDP central member Bijay Kumar Singh.
Leaders of TMDP and SP also accused Gachchhadar of taking unilateral decisions on behalf of the Madhesi parties in the High Level Political Committee (HLPC). “Though the country witnessed many political changes, UDMF did not even consider these issues worthy of discussion,” said Suman.
Vice Chairman of MPRF-D Mohammad Nasir Siddiqui, however, claimed that Gachchhadar was legitimately representing the UDMF in HLPC.
Likewise, TMPD-Nepal General Secretary Dan Bahadur Chaudhary argued that it was meaningless to question Gachchhadar´s legitimacy in HLPC was futile. “There is no point in protesting Gachchhadar´s leadership at this point of time since both Mahantha Thakur and Gachchhadar are participating in HLPC meetings,” said Chaudhary.
Political Analyst Chandrakishore argued that Gachchhadar deserves to be coordinator of HLPC. "He did not climb up this position overnight. Ever since the Regmi-led government was formed, Gachchhadar has been representing UDMF in HLPC,” he said.
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