Madhesi Janadhikar Forum (MJF)-Nepal, a key member of the 30-party opposition alliance, has expressed its dissatisfaction with the UCPN (Maoist) by not attending a Constituent Assembly (CA) meeting that was summoned on Monday to pass a condolence motion on former minister Salim Miya Ansari’s death.

Ansari, who led forest ministry as a CPN (UML) leader and also aviation ministry during Gyanednra Shah’s direct rule, had joined the UCPN (Maoist) a few years ago.

The UCPN (Maoist), which sent only its representative to attend a previous CA meeting summoned to pass a condolence motion on the deaths of UML leader Ram Nath Dhakal and NC leader Mahendra Yadav, had asked all its lawmakers to attend Monday’s CA meeting.

However, the MJF-Nepal, which is miffed with the UCPN (Maoist) over the latter’s decision to call off the 30-party’s alliance’s three-day general strike last week, sent only its chief whip, Shivaji Yadav, to attend the CA meeting.

“All lawmakers from our party, including Chair Upendra Yadav, are now outside Kathmandu,” said Yadav. “So, I went alone to attend the meeting.”

But, all MJF-Nepal lawmakers were not outside Kathmandu. MJF-Nepal lawmaker Chhaya Sharma Panta was one of those MJF-Nepal leaders who were in Kathmandu but did not attend the CA meeting. When asked if it was the party’s decision to boycott the CA meeting, she said, “It was my personal decision.”

The MJF-Nepal, which emerged as a regional political party in the wake of the Madhes Movement-2007, has been pressing for violent street protests to force the NC-UML to agree on their demand of ethnicity-based federalism.

After the UCPN (Maoist) called off all its agitation and resumed talks with the NC-UML, the MJF-Nepal has warned of forming another alliance. On Sunday’s meeting, CA Chair Subhas Nembang read out the proposal for the condolence motion, which was approved by all lawmakers present.

The previous CA meeting called after one and a half month on 6 April was postponed for 13 April. The next CA meeting is scheduled for 19 April.