Key takeaways from PM Shah’s two-hour meeting with Madhesh leaders

KATHMANDU: Leaders of Madhesh-based political parties have described their meeting with Prime Minister Balendra Shah as positive.

After the meeting at the Office of the Prime Minister on Friday, they said the prime minister was receptive to their concerns and expressed commitment to addressing the recent unrest in the Tarai-Madhesh region.

Prime Minister Shah invited leaders of Madhesh-based political parties for a discussion after unrest, triggered by police firing in Sunsari on Sunday night, expanded to most of the Tarai districts in Koshi and Madhesh provinces.

“We had heard that the prime minister is not interactive and does not prefer dialogue. There were also doubts about whether he could speak Maithili,” Ram Kumar Sharma, a former Constituent Assembly member, told Himal Press over the phone. “The discussion lasted for two hours and was highly interactive. The prime minister communicated in both Nepali and Maithili. The meeting was very positive.”

Sharma said the leaders offered suggestions to resolve the recent problems in the Tarai-Madhesh region and that the prime minister appeared sensitive to the issues and committed to finding solutions.

He said the leaders told the prime minister that a minor clash had escalated into communal violence, partly due to remarks made by the police.

“We told the prime minister that statements by the Inspector General of Police, such as claims that the number of Rohingya entering Nepal through India was increasing and that the person killed in Sunsari had not died from police firing but from someone else’s bullet, contributed to inflaming communal tensions,” Sharma said. “Although violence erupted, the situation worsened because the home minister did not respond proactively.”

According to Sharma, the leaders also informed the prime minister that the government’s shortcomings had contributed to the escalation of violence and that the unrest appeared to be planned rather than spontaneous.

“This was the first time the prime minister held discussions with Madhesh-based political parties. We believe the meeting was very positive,” Raut said. “We also offered suggestions on resolving the problems seen in several Tarai districts.”

The Madhesh-based parties urged Prime Minister Shah to take the personal initiative to resolve the recent tensions in the Tarai-Madhesh region.

Janamat Party Chair Dr. CK Raut also described the meeting as constructive.

“This was the first time the prime minister held discussions with Madhesh-based political parties. We believe the meeting was very positive,” Raut said. “We also offered suggestions on resolving the problems seen in several Tarai districts.”

Raut said the recent unrest was not a new phenomenon and called for long-term measures to address the underlying issues.

“We suggested forming a rapid action team to deal with such incidents. We also proposed regular security briefings, capacity-building for security personnel and stronger community-level monitoring,” he said.

Rastriya Mukti Party Chairperson Rajendra Mahato said the leaders urged the government to implement agreements reached with the Madhesh movement by previous governments. He also called on the government to intensify its efforts to resolve the ongoing tensions in Madhesh, investigate the Sunsari incident and address the issues in time.

Samim Miyan Ansari, founding chair of the Muslim Commission, said they held in-depth discussions with the prime minister on the issue, suggested measures to restore normalcy and bring those responsible for the incident to justice,” Ansari said.

During the meeting, the leaders also questioned Prime Minister Shah about his views on federalism. In response, Shah urged them not to regard him as anti-federalism.

“I am not against federalism. Please do not doubt my commitment to it,” Sharma quoted the prime minister as saying. “Our party has never decided to oppose federalism. We are committed to strengthening it and to making the provincial structure more effective.”

The Madhesh-based leaders also urged the prime minister to immediately transfer policing and administrative authority to the provinces in accordance with the Constitution.

“We suggested that the provincial governments should be given control over the police immediately, as envisaged in the constitution,” Sharma said. “This would enable provincial governments to respond quickly and effectively to incidents like those seen recently.”

According to the leaders, Prime Minister Shah assured them that he would personally take the initiative to resolve the recent problems in the Tarai-Madhesh region.