Agitating Madhesi leaders to visit New Delhi for talks

PTI, SNS, Kathmandu, | 05 December, 2015:The top leaders of Indian-origin Madhesi political parties agitating against Nepal's new Constitution will visit India on Sunday to meet top Indian leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, party sources said here.

Chairman of Federal Socialist Forum Nepal Upendra Yadav, President of Terai Madhes Democratic Party Mahantha Thakur, President of Sadbhawana Party Rajendra Mahato and Chairman of Terai Madhes Sadbhawana Party Mahendra Yadav will leave for New Delhi on Sunday, Madhesi parties' sources said.

The four Madhesi parties which make Joint Democratic Madhesi Front are launching agitation in southern Nepal for more than three months and blocking the Nepal-India border for over two month protesting against the new constitution.

Ahead of their planned visit to New Delhi, the Madhesi leaders today met Indian Ambassador to Nepal Ranjit Rae at the Indian Embassy and discussed the current situation, according to party sources.

During their scheduled visit to India they will try to meet Prime Minister Modi among other senior political leaders and officials in India.

The Madhesi parties were launching agitation to press for their 11 point demands which includes among others, proportionate representation, allocation of Parliament seats on the basis of population and re-demarcation of the provincial boundary.

Their plans to visit Delhi to meet top leaders of India shortly after the return of Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Kamal Thapa from his personal visit to India, where he met External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and discussed the issues relating to the ongoing agitation in southern Nepal is regarded here as significant.

Since the promulgation of the Constitution in Nepal in September, Indian-origin Madhesi population has been staging sit-in on the border stopping flow of goods as they believe the country's new Constitution discriminates against them, denying them equal standing with other Nepalis.