By Our Reporter
Weeks after the demonstrations began against the naming of Koshi Province, the government has taken the initiative to hold talks with the agitating groups.
In an attempt to resolve the ongoing dispute, the provincial government sent a letter to the Renaming Province-1 Struggle Committee inviting them for talks.
The negotiation committee, formed by the provincial government to communicate and negotiate with the agitating party, decided to extend a formal invitation to the struggle committee during its meeting held on Monday.
The government took the move after the agitating groups started targeting the leaders who had played a key role in naming the Province as Koshi. Of the seven provinces, Koshi had to wait for the second election of the provincial assembly to get its name. It was named on March 1 this year.
But now those who had been at the forefront to name the province has become the target of the agitating groups. Recently they attacked UML leader and former Minister Ram Rana in Soyak of Ilam-11.
In the demonstrations over the week, one man lost his life in police firing while property worth millions have been damaged. The agitating groups demanded that the province be named on the basis of its identity as Kirat Province.
Interestingly, the Maoist Centre and even NC which supported naming the province as Koshi in the past have now changed their stance which has only encouraged the agitating groups. Mostly, UML leaders have been the target of the agitating groups as the provincial government headed by UML named it Koshi.
The negotiation committee emphasised the government’s willingness to address the concerns raised by the agitating groups and expressed its commitment to holding constructive dialogue.
The leaders of the struggle committee had previously refused to participate in talks, citing the absence of a formal letter from the government.
In response to this stance, the provincial government sent a formal letter on Tuesday, clarifying their intent to engage in negotiations.
The committee, consisting of Minister of Industry, Agriculture, and Cooperatives Bhakti Prasad Sitaula, Minister of Social Development Buddhi Kumar Rajbhandari, and coordinated by Water, Irrigation, and Energy Minister Tilkumar Menyangbo, aims to facilitate meaningful dialogue and find a mutually agreeable solution to the naming dispute.
The name was endorsed by the overwhelming majority of the Provincial Assembly on March 1.
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