Political deadlock continues; Indigenous groups resist Madhesi demands; 23 new CA members sworn in; Communist leaders blame India for the Terai problem; UNMIN term extended; India expresses support for flood management in Nepal
  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Email
  • Whatsapp
  • Linkedin
  • Print

    • The stalemate over the formation of a new government continued. The series of meetings which started from June 26 between the seven-party alliance (SPA) and the Madhesi parties (Madhesi Janadhikar Forum, Terai Madhesh Loktrantrik Party and Sadbhawana Party) on the draft of the supplementary constitution amendment bill ended inconclusively. The talks were deadlocked after the Madhesi leaders objected to the plural term 'autonomous Madhes provinces' proposed by the SPA in the draft bill. The two sides also differed on the issue of Madhesis' representation in the Nepal Army, with the Madhesi parties reiterating their demand for "proportionate representation" and the SPA opposing it and instead favoured making the army an inclusive organisation1.

    Apart from the SPA, some indigenous groups residing in the Terai region have also been opposing the ‘one-province’ demand of the Madhesi parties. The Tharu Welfare Assembly for instance staged street protests against 'Madhesisation' of Terai and demanded their own separate Tharuhat Autonomous Province. The Limbu and even the Sherpa communities, which made up a tiny fraction of the population, have also demanded a separate autonomous state. Moreover, the indigenous Rajbanshi community called for establishment of Kochila Pradesh in the Terai parts of eastern Nepal districts, where they formed the majority. Activists of the Rajbanshi community asserted that the demands for 'One Madhesh province' and 'Limbuwan Province' were entirely unacceptable to them as both of these constructs did not recognize the autonomous Kochila Pradesh2.

    Significantly, Nepal’s high-ranking communist leaders have stated that the demand for a separate and sovereign state of Madhesh was aimed at disintegrating the country. They have also charged that India was pushing the agenda of ‘One Madhesh One Pradesh’ in order divide Nepal3.

    Meanwhile, 23 new Constituent Assembly (CA) members were sworn in on July 7 by Kul Bahadur Gurung, chairman of the assembly. This was out of the 26 members who were nominated by the Cabinet4. Despite the political deadlock, the cabinet decided to extend the term of United Nations Mission in Nepal (UNMIN) by six months. The term of UNMIN was to expire on July 235.

    In other developments, Indian Ambassador to Nepal Rakesh Sood extended a grant assistance of Rs. 83.6 million to the Ministry of Water Resources (MoWR) to carry out embankment construction in Bagmati and emergent works in Kamala rivers for the purpose of flood management. He underscored the need to work together to control flood disasters that was posing challenges every monsoon and to utilize the huge hydro-power potential, vital for the rapid economic growth in Nepal. Secretary of MoWR, Shanker Prasad Koirala noted that the joint Committee on Water Resources, MoWR had formed a Sub Committee on Embankment Construction (SCEC), which was currently working on projects in four rivers – including Lalbakaiya, Bagmati, Kamala and Khando6.

    Top