Big Three parties selling Madhes to buy time

The failure of the three-party taskforce to finalise the supplementary Fifth Amendment Bill has forced Madhesi leaders to suspect the real intent of the three big parties. The Madhesi leaders are wondering whether the three parties — the CPN-Maoist, Nepali Congress and the CPN-UML — are trying to strike a ... ...deal.People heaved a sigh of relief as the news of an agreement between the major parties to incorporate Madhesi demands into the constitution spread.task force constituted yesterday would soon sort out differences and prepare a supplementary draft that would be agreeable to all concerned. It may be noted that the CPN-Maoist and the UML are still opposed to the use of the word ‘Madhes’ in the bill.An autonomous Madhes province and group entry of Madhesis into the Nepal Army are main points of the February 28 agreement and the Madhesi parties want to get the two points incorporated into the constitution. Are the taskforce members really stuck over an ambiguous phrase?Or are they buying time to reach an understanding over the issue of power-sharing? These questions baffle many.“It seems something is cooking and the three big parties are engaged in behind-the-curtain power-sharing deal,” said Tarai Madhes Democratic Party leader Sarbendra Nath Shukla. Chairman of the Madhesi Janadhikar Forum Upendra Yadav agrees with him.“Most probably, the three big parties are pursuing dialogues to break the prevailing deadlock or buying time to reach a power-sharing deal on the pretext of a new deadlock. They may even be pursuing both tactics simultaneously,” Yadav commented.The three parties had reached an understanding to meet the demands of the Madhesi parties after they dispelled the doubts of major parties over the phrase of an autonomous Madhes and group entry of the Madhesis into the army. “It is just a matter of writing a few lines. We were hopeful that they would draft the supplementary bill yesterday,” Shkula said.Maoist leader Mohan Baidya ‘Kiran’ is puzzled over the delay in finalising the draft. “It is not difficult to reach a consensus. It seems the NC is playing a role to prolong the deadlock.The NC and the Maoists are at odds over the issue of sharing key posts as the former denied to offer the post of President to PM Koirala. Unhappy over a sudden tie-up between the Maoists and the UML, the NC has chosen to sit on the opposition bench.The NC, however, denied playing the game to prolong the deadlock. “The PM met UML leader Jhala Nath Khanal and Maoist chairman Prachanda this evening and asked them to find a solution to the problem,” said NC general secretary Bimalendra Nidhi.the political parties will clear doubts about the real reasons behind the prolonged deadlock.

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