At a meeting held at Koirala's residence in Maharajgunj on Friday, TMDP leaders asked Koirala to take initiatives for meaningful talks. Koirala, the immediate past prime minister, Koirala had called up TMDP Chairman Mahantha Thakur for the meeting immediately after he arrived in Nepal after his treatment in the United States of America.
"We told him that the issues raised in the Madhesh movement should be addressed on a package, including the issue of changing provincial delineation," said TMDP Vice-Chairman Hridayash Tripathi, who was present in the meeting.
"We also told him that it is his moral and political responsibility to seek solution to the present crisis as the constitution was promulgated under his leadership and the protests also started since then," he added.
According to Tripathi, Koirala assured them of starting a political dialogue with other major parties and within his party to seek a solution.
"He was serious regarding the reports that the government has been mulling over mobilizing Nepal Army. He said he will urge the government not to allow the situation to deteriorate and not to make things complicated," said Tripathi.
Though Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli last week had called a meeting with various political parties, including the main opposition NC, to search for a common stance for ending the political deadlock, but there has not been any progress.
Likewise, UCPN (Maoist) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal had also met with the top leaders of the UDMF earlier this week. The UDMF leaders had also urged Dahal to help end the deadlock through a package deal and asked for a proposal from major political parties on new provincial delineation.
The UDMF has been leading the agitation in Madhes districts for the last 100 days demanding change in provincial delineation, constitutional assurance for proportional representation in state mechanisms and delimitation of electoral constituencies on the basis of population. The UDMF has been protesting at highways and border checkpoints and southern neighbor India has been obstructing supplies to Nepal citing the agitations at border checkpoints.
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