Hope deadlock in Nepal will end soon: Indian envoy

India's Ambassador to Nepal today expressed hope that the political deadlock in the Himalayan nation over the new Constitution would soon end as talks between the agitating Indian-origin Madhesis and the government are in progress.
Speaking at an interaction programme on Nepal-India relations, Ranjit Rae said India is ready to assist Nepal in its development process amid the ongoing political crisis.
The relations between Nepal and India are based on people-to-people ties and nothing can spoil it, Rae pointed out at the event organised by the Nepal-India Friendship Society under the theme 'Nepal-India relations and the ongoing political crisis in Nepal'.

A host of speakers stressed on the need to end current political impasse in the country by addressing the demands of the Madhesi community and help strengthen Nepal-India ties, at a time when the relations have reached an all-time low.
The Indian envoy's remarks come a day after he called on deputy Prime Minister Kamal Thapa, who sought India's help in easing the supplies of essentials like LPG and fuel in the landlocked country and told Rae that Nepal is heading towards a humanitarian crisis due to the ongoing blockade.
Violence has returned to Nepal, already reeling under devastation from the April 25 quake and acute shortage of essential goods like fuel and LPG due to a two month-long blockade of key border trade points with India by Madhesis.

The Indian-origin inhabitants of Nepal's Terai region, Madhesis are protesting against division of their ancestral homeland under the new Constitution and demanding better representation in the Parliament.

At today's event, senior journalist Mathawar Singh Basnet said India should mediate between the government and the agitating parties to resolve the issue. He said India should also take the initiative to end the deadlock rising from promulgation of the new Constitution, which is a major component of Nepal's peace process.
Former vice-chancellor of Kathmandu University Suresh Raj Sharma said civil society members and intellectuals should exert pressure on both the government and the agitating Madhesi parties to resolve the crisis at the earliest.

The demarcation of federal provinces should not be done only on the basis of geography as allocation of resources also plays a crucial role, former Nepal diplomat Balbahadur Kunwar said, adding if the southern plains are completely separated from the hilly regions, people residing in the less resourceful hilly region cannot make progress.
Advocate Dinesh Tripathi said the present crisis emerged due to the absence of far-sighted leaders in the country.
He underlined the need to follow track-two diplomacy to improve relations between Nepal and India which have been affected due to the transport blockade.
Civil society leader Sundar Mani Dixit said that efforts should be made to improve relations between Nepal and India as they cannot afford to further worsen ties.