SHOW POLITICAL SINCERITY

The Kathmandu Post

10 June 2016

SHOW POLITICAL SINCERITY

The Federal Alliance (FA), comprising the Madhes and Janajati parties, has decided to intensify its political struggle by launching a month-long relay hunger strike in Kathmandu and other districts to exert pressure on the Oli-led government to fulfil its political and constitutional demands (“Agitating leaders go on relay fast” 8 June, Page 3). However, looking closely at the PM Oli’s working style; it does not look like that the ongoing political struggle in between the FA and the government will end soon.

Fortunately, no serous incident has occurred so far in the Kathmandu-centric agitation, indicating that the FA’s cadres and security forces are showing maximum restraint in order to avoid human casualties. Otherwise, the Madhes based political agitation in the last seven months has been violent and caused a huge number of human casualties. About 50 innocent people lost their lives due to excessive use of forces as claimed by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) during its field observation. If the Oli led government continues to undermine the FA’s agitation, political consensus in near future seems unlikely.

It is high time the ruling parties were serious about bringing the agitating forces on the negotiating table. Otherwise, more political confrontations could bring more misfortune upon the nation. The level of frustration and dissatisfaction of the agitating forces towards the apathy of the government is gradually increasing which might be politically costly for the Oli led government in the days to come.

Rai Biren Bangdel

Maharajgunj

http://kathmandupost.ekantipur.com/printedition/news/2016-06-10/voice-of-the-people-20160610080828.html