The government has asked the Joint Struggle Committee comprising communal organisations representing Bahun, Chhetri, Dalit and Dashnami communities to withdraw the nationwide bandh they have been enforcing since Thursday, causing much difficulty to the general public across the country.

The government made the call during a meeting between government talks team and representatives from the Struggle Committee held at Ministry of Peace and Reconstruction in Singh Durbar, Friday.

At the meeting, the government urged the bandh organisers to resort to peaceful means to put across their demands and make their voice heard rather than paralyzing the country by imposing day-long strikes.

Normal life across the country including capital Kathmandu has been direly affected due to the second day of bandh organised by the Joint Struggle Committee to protest against ethnicity-based federalism. They say economic viability and geography should be the basis instead of ethnicity while federating the country as the latter would destroy communal harmony and lead to disintegration of the country. nepalnews.com