Maoists ready to 'act as bridge' between govt and Madhesis

Nepal's Maoist supremo Prachanda today offered his party's mediation to "act as a bridge" between the government and the agitating Madhesis to end the months-long political impasse in the country.
Prachanda, speaking at a programme organised here to inform about the decisions of the central committee meeting of the Unified CPN-Maoist, said his party seeks a consensus on the eight state federal setup proposed by it.
"The demands raised by the currently agitating parties in Madhes are related to our party. We are the reason behind those demands. The Madhes issue should be resolved as an internal matter. We are the initiator and catalyst of those issues," he said.

Prachanda said his party is ready to "act as a bridge" between the government and Madhesis, who are largely of Indian-origin.
He said a phase of capitalist and pro-people revolution had finished after the promulgation of the new Constitution. He underlined the need to move ahead by considering the Constitution as a progressive document.
Meanwhile, lawmakers belonging to the agitating United Democratic Madhesi Front (UDMF) obstructed the Parliament meeting today.

After the lawmakers chanted slogans obstructing House proceedings, Speaker Onsari Gharti Magar announced postponement of the meeting till Sunday, December 27.
The Madhesi lawmakers have been obstructing the House for a couple of weeks demanding that the discussions on the Constitution Amendment Bill should be halted.

They want the process to continue after their demands related to the citizenship issue and demarcation of federal provinces are incorporated in the amendment bill.
The Parliament was supposed to start discussions on the bill today.
Also today, Nepali Congress vice-president Ram Chandra Poudel said the party has taken initiatives for ending the present political impasse.
The Nepali Congress has geared itself toward resolving the present crisis, he told reporters.
The agitating Madhes-based parties have been protesting for over four months against the seven-province model proposed in the new Constitution adopted on September 20 that divides their ancestral land as a way to politically marginalise them. Over 50 people have been killed in protests by Madhesis since August.

The Madhesi parties have blockaded Nepal's border trade points with India, causing a shortage of essential goods and medicines in the landlocked Himalayan country.