Madhesi demands to be included in constitution
1 Jul 2008, 2156 Hrs

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Kathmandu, July 1 (ANI): The major three parties of Nepal on Tuesday agreed to introduce a supplementary amendment bill along with the Fifth Amendment bill to the interim constitution to address the demands floated by the Madhes-based parties.

A joint-meeting of the ruling three parties--Nepali Congress (NC), Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (CPN-M) and Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist-Leninist (CPN-UML)-and the agitating Madhes-based parties Madhesi People's Rights Forum (MPRF), Terai-Madhes Democratic Party (TMDP) and Rajendra Mahato-led Nepal Sadbhawana Party (NSP-M) at the Ministry of Peace and Reconstruction in Singhadurbar this morning agreed in principle to tackle the contentious issues that have cropped up after the Madhesi lawmakers began to continuously disrupt the constituent Assembly meet since last Thursday.

According to Kantipur reports, today's meeting agreed to incorporate the provisions of an autonomous Terai region and mass recruitment of Madhesis into the security bodies in the proposed supplementary bill along with the Fifth Amendment bill.

As per the agreement reached between the political parties, a taskforce has been set up to prepare the draft of the supplementary proposal.

The taskforce comprises UML's Bhim Rawal, Maoist's Dev Gurung and NC's Bimalendra Nidhi.

The Seven Party Alliance (SPA) will ratify the proposal prepared by the draft committee, which will be passed later by the Council of Ministers. The government will then present the proposal at the CA sitting, according to leaders.

The Madhesi lawmakers had been disrupting the parliamentary session of the CA since last Thursday pressing the government to include the agendas in the agreement signed between the United Democratic Madhesi Front and the government on February 28 in the statute amendment. (ANI)