Maoist leader Pushpa Kamal Dahal and UML leader Madhav Kumar Nepal before entering the meeting room on Saturday. Photo: RSSThree major parties have decided to address the demands of the indigenous Tharu community only after forming a state-restructuring commission.
After a day-long meeting, the Nepali Congress, the CPN (UML) and the UCPN (Maoist) on Saturday evening decided to keep the seven-province federalism model intact for the time being. However, they agreed to form a commission to address the demands of the Tharu community.
The Tharus have been on the warpath ever since the four parties reached an agreement on 8 August to carve out seven federal provinces. But the Tharus have rejected this federalism model because it has included two districts in the western plains – Kailali and Kanchanpur – in the far-western province.
The Tharus have been imposing an indefinite general strike in the western plains for the last two weeks demanding an autonomous Tharuhat province. They considered the province 6 stretching between Nawalparasi and Bardiya district as their Tharuhat province, and want Kailali and Kanchanur districts to be in this province.
Last week, protesters demanding a Tharuhat province had killed eight policemen including an SSP and one child in Tikapur of Kailali district. Even this week, they killed a police constable.
The four parties have also decided to keep the word 'secularism' intact in the new constitution. The Hindu Royalist RPP-N has been on the warpath demanding removal of this word and restoration of a Hindu state.
In a move to appease fringe parties, the four-party alliance has also decided not to keep the provision of threshold in the new constitution. Fringe parties were against the threshold provision fearing failure to enter the future parliaments.