Patna,(BiharTimes): Madhesis on Monday announced an end to their more than four-month-long blockade of entry points to Nepal three days after being beaten up and chased away by over 100 local armed men at Birganj on the border. It is through Raxaul-Birganj route that landlocked Nepal gets about 70% of its supplies from India.

The withdrawal of the agitation came days ahead of scheduled visit of Nepalese Prime Minister Kharga Prasad Sharma Oli to India in the third week of February.

Nepalese of Indian origin under the banner of United Democratic Madhes Front (UDMF) have been agitating for proportionate representation in Parliament and jobs and one single province for them comprising all 21 Terai districts that border Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.

The indefinite blockade of the border points started in September last year after Constituent Assembly of Nepal adopted a new Constitution without addressing the key demands of Madhesis.

Incidentally, the three main parties, Nepali Congress, Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist Leninist) and Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Maoists) have more Madhesi MPs than UDMF.
Reports said that differences within the UDMF and growing unpopularity of the blockade compelled Madhesis to called off their agitation.

Besides, it caused hardship to people of the country in general.