Government And Hindu Religious Front Reach Agreement In Janakpur, 12 Demands To Get Immediate Attention

The government and the protesting Hindu religious front have reached an agreement in Janakpur following two rounds of talks led by Home Minister Sudhan Gurung. The discussions focused on a 13 point list of demands submitted by the protesting groups, including a demand to declare Nepal a Hindu nation.

Under the understanding reached between the two sides, the government will begin work toward addressing 12 of the 13 demands immediately. On the demand concerning Nepal's status as a Hindu nation, the government has asked for three months to address the issue.

The two sides agreed to the proposed three month period following discussions.

Home Minister Travels To Janakpur For Talks

Home Minister Gurung travelled to Janakpur on Saturday to directly hold talks with the protesting groups after they launched a movement with their 13 point demand letter.

According to Bhudev Jha, Assistant Chief District Officer and spokesperson for the District Administration Office, an understanding was reached between the government and the protesting side after discussions.

The talks were held in two rounds before both sides reached the agreement.

The protesting front had presented the government team with a memorandum containing 13 different demands. Following the talks, the government agreed to move forward with work related to 12 of those demands.

However, the report does not provide an individual list or details of those 12 demands.

Three Months Sought On Hindu Nation Demand

One of the major demands raised by the protesting religious groups was that Nepal should be declared a Hindu nation.

During the negotiations, the government asked for three months to address this demand. The protesting side agreed to the government's request, allowing the two sides to reach an overall understanding.

No final decision on the Hindu nation demand has been announced. The agreement gives the government three months to address the issue raised by the protesting groups.

The development is significant because Nepal is currently defined as a secular federal democratic republic under the Constitution. The demand to restore the country's Hindu status has remained a subject of political and public debate in recent years.

Religious Groups And Elected Representatives Join Talks

The negotiations included representatives from different levels of government as well as religious organisations involved in the protest.

Janakpur Sub Metropolitan City Mayor Manoj Sah participated in the talks along with representatives from the Madhesh provincial government, federal lawmakers from Dhanusha, local elected representatives and the Chief District Officer.

Representatives from more than a dozen religious organisations involved in the movement also participated in the discussions.

The broad participation brought government officials, elected representatives and protesting religious groups together for negotiations over the demands.

Protests Linked To Sunsari Incident

The Hindu religious groups had launched their movement while protesting an incident in Sunsari. Along with demands connected to the incident, the protesters raised several other issues and called for Nepal to be declared a Hindu nation.

Tensions were also seen during an all party harmony rally organised on Saturday.

Protesting youths gathered at the programme venue and raised strong slogans. Following the protest at the event, Dhanusha Constituency Number 2 House of Representatives member Manish Jha entered into discussions with the protesting side.

Home Minister Gurung's visit to Janakpur later brought the government and the protesting groups into direct negotiations.

Government To Begin Work On 12 Demands

Following the agreement, the government is expected to begin preparations to address 12 of the 13 demands raised by the front.

However, details of those 12 demands were not individually listed in the published report. It is therefore not yet clear what specific measures the government will take, how each demand will be addressed or what timeline will apply to their implementation.

The Hindu nation demand will follow a separate three month timeframe requested by the government.

Further details are expected to become clearer as the government begins work on the agreement and the parties provide more information about the individual demands.