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Nepal's major parties decide to amend constitution amid violent protests in Terai region

Xinhua, November 23, 2015 Adjust font size:

epal's major parties on Monday decided to table a bill at the parliament to amend the constitution in view of addressing 11-point demands raised by the agitating Madhesis, a senior leader said.

A meeting of the three major parties -- the Nepali Congress, CPN (UML) and UCPN (Maoist) -- held at the Prime Minister K.P Sharma Oli's official residence in Baluwatar made such a decision amid escalating protests by the agitating Madhesis in the Terai region bordering India.

"We decided to table the bill at the parliament to make amendments in the constitution to accommodate demands of the Madhesis. The government will submit the bill to the parliament once it holds consultation with Madhesis," Vice-chairman of the ruling UCPN (Maoist), Narayan Kaji Shrestha told Xinhua.

During the meeting, major parties leaders decided to seek appropriate solution through holding negotiation with the agitating Madhesis, Shrestha added.

Nepal police shot dead four Indian-origin Madhesis blockading the East-West highway in Terai region as violence returned to the country.

"We were forced to open fire after the Madhesis set fire on the police station and pelted stones at our cops," Deputy Superintendent of police Bhim Dhakal told the local newspaper on Monday.

The protests have turned to violence in the Terai region in recent days, Dhakal said.

The Madhesis have also continued blocking the highways as the talks between the government and the Madhesis could not yield any positive result in addressing their 11-point demands which include redefining the seven provincial boundaries adopted through the new constitution on Sept. 20.

The exasperated Madhesis burnt down a medicine loaded truck at the India-Nepal border on Saturday while they torched another truck carrying fuel on the same day.

They also torched a vehicle in Saptari District when a five-year-old baby was inside the vehicle on Saturday.

The ethnic minority Madhesis have been launching agitation for the past three months claiming that Nepal's new constitution was not broad-based and some of the provisions would politically marginalize them.

According to the police, at least 50 protestors have been killed in police firing in the Terai region of Nepal. Ending a seven-year of protracted transition after becoming a secular and federal democratic republic in 2008, Nepal promulgated the latest democratic constitution through an overwhelming majority of the Constituent Assembly on Sept 20. Enditem