KATHMANDU: Rastriya Janata Party-Nepal (RJP-N) and Samajwadi Party-Nepal (SPN) are in a last-ditch effort for unification between them as Madhesh centric political parties.
Senior leaders of both the political parties have currently intensified the talk of unification. The two parties have already claimed to have agreed, in principle, on unification.
RJP-N General Secretary Manish Suman told Khabarhub they have accelerated efforts for unification in a bid to form an alternative force in the country as well as push the issue of constitution amendment to the federal government by managing requisite strength in the central parliament.
“RJP-N is holding a crucial meeting of its political committee on August 30 to give a final shape to the unification process,” Suman told Khabarhub.
According to him, Friday’s meeting will come up with a concrete blueprint, which, he argued would push the unification process forward.
However, an RJP-N leader, on terms of anonymity, told Khabarhub that the Madhesh-based political parties – RJP-N and SPN – are under pressure from Chinese officials here, who have been insisting on unification bid in the name of ‘stability and prosperity’ in Madhesh.
“They (Chinese) are putting pressure and luring us on various pretexts,” the RJP-N leader said adding, “Even some Chinese businessmen have been approaching me saying that the Madhesh-based political parties would acquire more power and posts after the unification.”
Party sources said that the Chinese side wants the incumbent K P Oli-led government to be ‘more powerful’, which they claimed would pave the way for the widely-talked visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping sometime later this year.
Another RJP-N leader said that they would not make this happen at any cost since it would only empower a handful of Madhesh-based leaders, not the Madhesh as a whole. “Such a move will not be acceptable for us,” he said adding that the Madhesh movement was not aimed at making a handful of leaders powerful.
He queried, “How could such a unification justify the Madhesh movement?” adding further that several people in the Madhesh movement sacrificed their lives for the sake of Madhesh, they will never allow outsiders to fulfill their vested external interest.
“The Madhesh movement was launched for the cause of promoting inclusive democracy and empowering all the indigenous communities, mainly the Madhesis,” he added.
RJP-N leader Keshav Jha, however, said that the unification was aimed at fostering a momentum for a nationwide movement to pressurize the incumbent government to address issues of the Madhesis, and other marginalized communities as well as amending the constitution.
According to sources, efforts to unify the two parties have been aimed at offering an alternative force in Nepal.
The members of the talk team include Rajendra Shrestha and Ram Sahay Yadav representing the Upendra Yadav-led Samajbadi Forum Nepal and Rajendra Mahato, Brikhesh Chandra Lal and Keshav Jha representing the side of RJP-N.
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