Coordinator of the leadership council of Rastriya Janata Party Nepal (RJP) Mahendra Raya Yadav has claimed that CK Raut, who renounced campaign for free Madhes and joined mainstream politics on Friday, does not have any hold in Madhes.
Speaking to Setopati, Yadav also accused the government of giving unnecessary importance to Raut. "Why should we worry about someone who does not have any place?" he asked. "People of Madhes, indigenous ethnicities and nobody else agree with his agenda. Nobody follows you merely for giving slogans. We are facing difficulty to do politics despite martyrdom of such a large number of people in our movement," he added hinting that Raut will face difficulty to do politics.
He called bringing Raut to mainstream a positive move but pointed at the term 'people's mandate' in the second point of the agreement and said the government itself seems to be unsure about the issue. "The government is saying people's mandate. Raut is interpreting that as referendum. Even Home Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa could not clarify about that in the parliament. The doubts are, therefore, growing," he elaborated.
He stressed that his party is seeking rights and identity from the current constitution itself. "The constitution does not allow referendum and it should not be held either. That will invite disintegration," he stated.
He warned that there can be secessionist movements at other places in the future if a plebiscite is accepted to address one secessionist. He pointed that RJP has transformed itself into a national party from a regional one, and opined that there should be no space for those demanding people's vote to disintegrate the country.
The government signed an 11-point agreement with Raut on Friday.
