Address Madhesi demands before its too late: ex-PM Bhattarai

Former prime minister Baburam Bhattarai today said that the political crisis in southern Nepal could be resolved if the country can re-demarcate the boundaries of federal provinces through amendments to the new Constitution as demanded by the Indian-origin Madhesis.
The issues relating to five districts, three in eastern Nepal and two in the west could not be resolved due to the arrogance and personal interests shown of the four leaders belonging to opposition Nepali Congress and ruling CPN-UML, Bhattarai said.
The issue of border dispute has become a subject of debate for the last one year, according to Bhattarai who quit the UCPN-Maoist two months ago to form a new political force.

Bhattarai said he is ready to broker a deal between the agitating Madhesi parties and the government to resolve the current impasse.
Urging the government to respond quickly to the demands of the agitating Madhesi parties, Bhattarai warned that the Terai agitation is turning violent and it could get out of hand.
He asked the government to implement the past agreements relating to proportional representation, election constituency determination on the basis of population and re-demarcation of the boundaries to address the demands of the Madhesis.

He said that the Terai agitation and blockade of the key trading points between Nepal and India over the past two months have severely damaged the Nepalese economy.

The damage to the national economy due to the agitation is nearly double as compared to the damage caused by the devastating earthquake in April, he said.
Nepalese people have faced hardship from time to time due to the leadership's inability to strike a balance in Nepal's relationship with its two giant neighbours, India and China, he said.
He said although the economic blockade on the Indian border is inappropriate, it is not wise just to blame India without addressing Nepal's own internal problems.
The issue of Nepal-India relations should be tackled through diplomatic channels, while at the same time the issues raised by the agitating Madhesi parties should also be resolved through political dialogue, Bhattarai said.

The present problem could not be resolved by blaming each other or by firing verbal missiles, he said.