Talks between the major political parties and the UDMF held at the prime minister's official residence at Baluwatar on Sunday ended inconclusively as the UDMF asked for time to discuss the proposal within the parties in their coalition.
According to leaders present at the talks, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli asked the UDMF to assign members from their side for the taskforce, and also informed that CPN-UML Vice Chairman and Deputy Prime Minister Bhim Rawal, Nepali Congress leader Mahesh Acharya and UCPN (Maoist) leader Krishna Bahadur Mahara would join the taskforce from the three major parties.
Following the proposal, the UDMF leaders replied that they would discuss the proposal within their front. They also asked the big parties to come up with a concrete idea regarding the 11-point demand rather than indulging in taskforce-formation.
"We want to seek solutions within a few days to all the issues raised by the agitating parties. We have asked them to name a leader to work within the taskforce. The taskforce will finalize a roadmap and top leaders from both sides will sit again to finalize an agreement," said Nepali Congress Vice-President Ram Chandra Paudel.
"They have said that they will hold discussions within their front on the proposal to form a taskforce," he added.
DPM Rawal said that the major political parties urged the agitating side to seek a solution through the taskforce and expressed hope that the UDMF would join the taskforce soon.
"We have said that the taskforce can first discuss forming a common idea on what should be changed in the Constitution Amendment Bill tabled in parliament, and the remaining issues next," said Rawal.
"We have asked them to maintain an environment of trust between the major political parties and themselves," the DPM added.
However, the UDMF leaders were found to be less enthusiastic and hopeful after Sunday's talks at Baluwatar. "It was once again a ritual. However, the proposal on forming a taskforce was new to us and we told them that we would discuss it within the front," said Hridayesh Tripathi, vice-chairman of the Tarai Madhes Democratic Party.
"They are still trying to focus only on the amendment bill but we have been rejecting a partial and incomplete amendment to the constitution," he added.
One of the UDMF members, Sadbhavana Party, boycotted Sunday's talks, stating that they would not join talks until the government apologized for the manhandling of its chairman Rajendra Mahato by the security forces.
"Our chairman was attacked brutally. The government is not apologetic about this and it has not even had the courtesy of wishing him a speedy recovery. As long as the government remains silent about the incident, we will not join the talks," said Laxman Lal Karna.
According to a source from the ruling coalition, the UDMF leaders were not in a positive mood during the talks due to internal rifts within the front.
"After Mahato published a separate protest program, other leaders in the front were found to be feeling its effects," said the source. The source also claimed that Federal Socialist Forum Nepal Chairman Upendra Yadav was not present at Sunday's talks either as there is competition among the UDMF leaders to portray themselves before the protestors as being more militant.
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