Nepali Congress promises to resolve Madhesis' issues

Nepali Congress would take a lead role in resolving the issues of agitating Madhesis over the new Constitution, its newly-elected president Sher Bahadur Deuba said today, asserting that there is no other alternative democratic force that is capable of addressing the political crisis in the country.
Addressing a programme organised here to felicitate the newly-elected office bearers and central working committee members of the party, Deuba lamented that the Madhesis' issues could not be resolved though the country has adopted the federal system through the promulgation of the new Constitution.
"The voices of discontent have been heard in the southern plains since the promulgation of the new constitution and Nepali Congress will try to address the issues raised by the Madhesi parties," said the 69-year-old three-time former premier, who was elected the new president of Nepali Congress last week.

"The country still needs leadership of Nepali Congress, as there is no other alternative democratic force that is capable of addressing the ongoing crisis," he said.
The Madhesis, largely of Indian-origin, led a nearly six-month-long violent protest including a crippling blockade of key border trade points with India over the federal structure of the new Constitution that divides their ancestral homeland as well as better representation in Parliament.
Their protest claimed over 50 lives before being called off suddenly last month.

The recently-concluded 13th national general convention of the Nepali Congress elected Deuba as the party chief to succeed late premier Sushil Koirala.

During the meeting, the other office bearers of the party's central body were also elected.
Some 3,200 general convention representatives of the party exercised their voting rights to directly elect altogether 64 office bearers and CWC members of the party.