Bhaktapur, 24 November 2015: Minister for Information and Communications Technology Sherdhan Rai has said that the Army will not be mobilized to control Tarai protest.
Talking in a face to face programme organized by the Rafat Sanchar Club today, Minister Rai, who is also the government spokesman, clarified that the government would not mobilize the army unless the critical situation was seen in the county. “However, if the situation was threatening the security of the nation, then the army could be mobilized as per the constitution,” he added. Minister Rai further said that the Tarai protest would not be controlled by mobilizing the army and through unnecessary administrative coercion as well. He informed that the government so far has not concluded that the nation was going towards emergency however it was preparing to issue white paper about the problem seen in the national economy.
Similarly, Minister Rai urged the protesting parties to find out the political solution through dialogues as unofficial border blockade and violence in Tarai has created shortage which has led the country towards humanitarian crisis. He informed that the government had urged India to remove border blockade as the government was ready to sort out the internal problems through dialogues.
Saying that the government could not function as per people’s aspirations and wishes due to the ongoing agitations in the Tarai and the blockade by India, Minister Rai said that it is working by exercising all kinds of flexibility on hand for the welfare of the country and Nepali people.
He said that the government is committed to control black marketing that is prevailing in the country, following the restrictions on goods on the Nepal-India border, adding that the government was working to make easy supply of essentials through the adoption of all alternative means available.
Likewise, on a different context, Minister Rai said that the government is working to amend the constitution and have the reconstruction bill passed through the parliament within November 26. “And thereafter the ongoing protest in the Tarai would ease itself,” he said.
He, however, said that any activities that would go against the spirit of the constitution would be intolerable to the government and that the government and all citizens would unite against them.
Saying that the government was working to implement the Working Journalist Act, he said that he would do his best to have the recommendation by the Minimum Wages Fixation Committee on minimum wages to working journalists that was submitted to the government earlier, passed through the Cabinet.
“The scheme for working journalist’s insurance would be implemented this month. The government is ready to sort out problems surfaced in media,” he added.
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