Indian officials have met district level leaders of agitating Madhes-based parties and inquired about the protest programmes declared by the alliance.

Deputy Chief of Mission at Kathmandu-based Indian Embassy, Vinay Kumar, met with Madhesi leaders at a private institute in Rajbiraj on Tuesday night.

The talks were focused on Sanghiya Gathabandhan’s (alliance of Madhesi and Janajati parties) Kathmandu-centric protests that it had announced earlier, sources said.

Madhesi Morcha’s Saptari coordinator Gajendra Mandal, Rastriya Madhes Samajbadi Party’s Deputy Chairman Sekhar Kumar Singh, Sanghiya Samajbadi Froum Nepal’s central member Shailendra Prasad Sah, Tarai Madhes Sadbhawana Party’s district Chairman Kapildev Yadav, among others, participated in the meeting with Vinay Kumar.

According to a leader privy to the development, the Indian officials advised the Madhesi leaders to focus on Capital-centric protests rather than district level protests as it is more likely to influence government to address the demands raised by Madhesi people. They reportedly urged the Madhesi leaders to ensure maximum participation in the Kathmandu-centric protest.

“If the protests are meant for your rights, continue it till you obtain them,” a leader present in the meeting quoted Vinay Kumar as saying, “Increase participation in Capital-centric protest; it will put pressure on the state to address your demands.”

Morcha’s district coordinator Mandal also confirmed about the meeting. He said, “We met Indian Embassy’s deputy Chief of Mission and talked about the development strategies formulated by the embassy.”

Though he admitted holding brief discussion on the alliance’s protest with the Indian officials, he refused to divulge the details. 

If talks were focused on development activities, Nepali Congress, CPN-UML, UCPN (Maoist), among other parties, should have been invited in the discussion,” a local leader said. “Why was the meeting with Madhes-centric parties held in private? Vinay Kumar’s Rajbiraj meeting is suspicious,” he added.

Deputy Chief of Mission Vinaya Kumar, who arrived here to inaugurate a health camp on uterus and breast cancer organised by Nepal-India Maitri Sangh on Tuesday evening,  stayed at a delux hotel. He went to Chinnamasta Educational Academy where he met the Madhesi leaders.