A 36-member UFWJSC talks team had arrived in Kathmandu on Friday. [break]
Talking to media persons after the meeting held at Singha Durbar, the government talks team coordinator and Deputy Prime Minister Krishna Prasad Sitaula said the demand of UFWJSC will be forwarded to the top leaders of major political parties. The next round of talks is scheduled for Sunday.
During the meeting, the government talks team told UFWJSC representatives that the Constituent Assembly (CA) alone has the authority to decide whether or not to divide the Far-west.
Among other things, UFWJSC has demanded that all nine districts in the far western region be kept in same province and preferential rights for various marginalized groups.
Talking to media persons after the meeting, Pushkar Raj Joshi of Far-west Awareness Forum, a constituent of UFWJSC, accused the government of not taking their demands seriously. "The talks could not yield any result," he said.
Saturday marked the 16th day of general strike in the far western region. The strike has not only led to shortage of daily necessities, but also caused tension between ethnic Tharus and non-Tharu communities in the region.
According to Sitaula, the government team had urged the UFWJSC to withdraw general strikes and change the form of protests keeping in view of the hardships faced by ordinary people, but the latter has turned down the request.
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