Nepal president tells govt to address Madhesi issue seriously

Nepal's President Ram Baran Yadav appealed to the new government to take the demands raised by the agitating Madhesi groups seriously.

Kathmandu: Nepal's president Wednesday appealed to the new government to take the demands raised by the agitating Madhesi groups seriously and avoid further delay in resolving the crisis over the Constitution through dialogue.

In his message to the nation, President Ram Baran Yadav has urged the government "not to make any delay in resolving the ongoing crisis and hold dialogue to settle the issue by taking the demands of the agitating Madhesi people in a serious and sensitive manner".

Nepal's former king Gyanendra also said that "the present crisis has arisen in the country as the culture and activities acceptable to all the communities of the country could not be incorporated in the Constitution".

Issuing a statement on the occasion of Vijaya Dashami and Deepawali, Gyanendra expressed concern over the worsening situation in the country "when the Nepalese people are facing hardship and difficulties," adding such a situation should not be allowed to continue for a long time.

Meanwhile, Nepali Congress central committee member Shekhar Koirala has said that the blockade happened as Nepal could not incorporate the phrase "religious freedom" instead of "secularism" in the Constitution as hinted by India and failure of the political parties to divide the country into seven federal provinces which was also favoured by India.

He advised the government to resolve the blockade by holding talks at the highest political level with India.

The violent protests in the southern plains by Madhesi parties demanding more representations in the newly-adopted Constitution have killed over 40 people in Nepal.

The protests have halted supplies of goods and fuel to the landlocked Himalayan country for nearly two months.

Nepal had blamed India for the blockade of major border trade points. India had categorically dismissed the allegations saying the violence had caused the disruption.