After the Cabinet endorsed Saturday’s agreements, the Sanghiya Gathabandhan, which includes the Samyukta Loktantrik Madhesi Morcha, on Sunday decided to roll back all the scheduled protests.

Protesting against the constitution amendment proposal that the government registered on April 16, the Gathabandhan had announced a month-long agitation including an indefinite strike aimed to foil the local level polls.

However, the unification on Thursday of six Madhes-based parties to form the Rastriya Janata Party changed their political course, ultimately leading to an agreement with the governing parties.

The meeting of the Gathabandhan held at the Tinkune office of the Sanghiya Samajbadi Forum Nepal decided to withhold the protests announced on April 16.

SSFN coordinator Upendra Yadav and RJP Chairman Mahantha Thakur, however, were absent from the meeting. RJP leader Keshav Jha said the decision was taken in consultation with the top leaders. Thakur and Yadav would arrive in Kathmandu from the Tarai on Monday.

Following the Cabinet decision to honour the gentlemen’s agreement reached on Saturday, all the protest programmes had been withheld, said Jha.

SSFN Co-chairman Rajendra Shrestha, however, warned that the protests would be revived if the government failed to amend the constitution within a week as any delays would affect candidate nomination by the Gathabandhan constituents that boycotted the election process earlier.

The government would now begin works to implement Saturday’s agreements while the parties under the Gathabandhan would start their preparations for the elections.

Members of the RJP governing body Sharat Singh Bhandari and Mahendra Raya Yadav attended the meeting along with Laxman Lal Karna, Brikhesh Chandra Lal and senior SSFN leader Ashok Rai and Co-chair Shrestha.

Meanwhile, a meeting of the CPN (Maoist Centre) chaired by Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal decided to take initiatives to implement the agreements reached with the Madhesi Morcha.