Minority groups protesting against Nepal’s new constitution were welcome to join negotiations with the government, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli said yesterday.
The call came after the second day of protests in the capital that led to scuffles with the police.
The Madheshi ethnic community has been demanding more autonomy in the constitution that was promulgated in September. The group waged protests in the southern plains for several months, closing the vital border trade with India.
More than 50 people died in clashes with police over nearly six months of demonstrations, while Nepalis elsewhere suffered as fuel and essential supplies were choked by a border blockade.
The group has been resisting government calls for talks, saying the previous rounds of meetings failed because officials did not show flexibility in drawing the provincial boundaries under the new federalist system.
NEPAL
