KATHMANDU, Feb 6: Leaders of the agitating Madhesi political parties have said that the meeting of the United Democratic Madhesi Front (UDMF), the alliance of Madhesi parties, scheduled for Saturday is likely to take a formal decision to end the obstructions at the Birgunj-Raxaul border checkpoint.
Madhesi leaders, who have been leading the protests, claimed that they are taking the decision as the obstructions have been prolonged for months, causing hardship for the people of the Tarai themselves.
"The border checkpoint at Birgunj has been almost fully open from today [Friday] and the UDMF meeting tomorrow is likely to take a formal decision to end obstructions there," Laxman Lal Karna, co-chair of Sadbhavana Party (SP), told Republica.
According to him, his party is going to float the proposal at the UDMF meeting to end obstructions at the border.
SP Chairman Rajendra Mahato had earlier announced that the agitating parties were going to end the border checkpoint protests.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and UCPN (Maoist) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal telephoned Mahato Friday and held talks on resolving the matter through negotiations.
However, leaders from other Madhesi parties said one can't declare an end to the blockade ahead of the UDMF meeting.
Ramnaresh Ray Yadav, senior leader of Tarai-Madhesh Sadbhavana Party, said whether or not to end the border protests depends on the UDMF decision and not on an announcement by any leader.
"The UDMF meeting will review the issues of the entire protest activities, including the successes and weaknesses. As far as ending the obstructions is concerned, it depends on the meeting decision," said Ramnaresh Ray Yadav. "No leader can declare it in advance just to project himself as more revolutionary than the others."
It is widely assumed that the latest turn of events is taking place in tacit understanding between leaders from the major political parties, the agitating parties and the Indian side, mainly in view of the prime minister's upcoming India visit.
The prime minister is most likely to visit the southern neighbor in the third week of this month. He is also likely to visit China, in third week of March.
"I will go to both India and China. I will do everything for making my country prosperous," Prime Minister Oli told journalists at a function in Kathmandu on Friday.
Meanwhile, leaders from the joint taskforce comprised of members from the three major political parties and the agitating Madhesi forces are also likely to hold a meeting on Saturday.
UCPN (Maoist) General Secretary Krishna Bahadur Mahara said the taskforce meeting was deferred due to the busy schedule of Nepali Congress leader Mahesh Acharya and the NC's ongoing local conventions.
"We are trying to hold the taskforce meeting tomorrow [Saturday]," Mahara told Republica.
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