Nepal will no longer be lab for experiments: PM Oli

By Anil Giri

Kathmandu, April 12 (IANS) Nepal's Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli on Tuesday said his country will no longer be a laboratory for other countries to conduct experiments in.

He said social scientists have experimented in the Himalayan country in the name of language, culture, ethnicity, geography, region and identity in the past.

"But we will not let the country (to be used) as a laboratory," he said in his address broadcast across the country on the eve of the Nepali New Year.

He said Nepal wanted friendly relations with all countries.

Oli called on the agitating Madhes-based political parties to seek a solution to their grievances through parleys to end the political impasse, saying that dialogue could resolve all issues.

"What is the (cause of) displeasure in Madhes, I have not reached any conclusion. What is the end result of the killing of 59 people, merciless vandalism and attack on public and private properties and the squeeze on the nation for months."

Oli said the government panel led by Deputy Prime Minister Kamal Thapa should expedite the process of holding parleys with the agitating Madhesi parties and find a solution to their grievances at the earliest.

He said the government cannot afford to dilly-dally on finding the solution to the Madhes crisis.

"The implementation of the new constitution is a key task of my government, apart from reconstruction work," Oli said.

The prime minister said the nearly five-month-long border blockade pushed back Nepal, which was already struggling to recover from the devastating earthquake and its aftershock in 2015. He said he welcomed the end of the blockade.

Oli announced Nepal's commitment to human rights and criticised those critical of the country's government in the international arena on democracy, human rights and social justice issues. "This is unacceptable," he said.

"How can I discriminate in the name of caste, creed, ethnicity and other social evils. I have spent 14 years in jail for the sake of democracy and social justice," he said while appealing to the agitating Madhesi parties to come for talks.

"Democracy cannot be a horse without reins, as there are different dimensions to democracy; anarchy can't be accepted, the Nepalese prime minister said.

(Anil Giri can be contacted at girianil@gmail.com)