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Madhesis to vote against Oli govt during no-trust motion

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Press Trust of India Kathmandu
An alliance of Madhesis and other ethnic minority groups in Nepal today decided to vote against Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli-led government during a no-confidence motion in the Parliament this week.

A two-day meeting of the Federal Alliance here that ended today made the decision to this effect, according to the alliance spokesperson Om Gurung.

The Parliament is scheduled to begin discussion on the no-trust motionon Thursday.

Nepali Congress and the Maoists tabled the no-trust motion in the parliament last week against Prime Minister Oli, accusing him of not honouring his past commitments.

The motion was registered by Nepali Congress, CPN-Maoist Centre and CPN-United, whose combined strength is 292 seats in the 598-member Parliament.
 

The Madhesi parties' combined strength comes around 50 seats and their support will be crucial for passing the no-trust motion against the Oli government.

The meeting of the alliance, however, has not decided on joining the new government to be formed after the Oli government's dissolution, Gurung said.

Madhesis, mostly Indian-origin, launched a six-month-long agitation from September to February in which more than 50 people were killed. The agitation had also crippled the landlocked country's economy as supplies from India were blocked.

The major demands of Madhesis include re-demarcation of the seven province model of federal structure, inclusiveness and proportionate representation of marginalised groups and ethnic minorities including the Madhesis, indigenous groups and dalits in all the state bodies.

Meanwhile, the alliance has decided to continue peaceful protests in support of its demands throughout the nation.

The form of the protest has been softened as the alliance has decided to hold 10 'extensive interactions' on its demands in 10 cities of the nation including Kathmandu Valley from third week of July 20 to mid- September.

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First Published: Jul 18 2016 | 9:42 PM IST

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