Kathmandu, Madhesis must engage in dialogue
It is good that Nepal's main Opposition, the Nepali Congress, and the United Democratic Madhesi Front have agreed to expeditiously resolve the ongoing crisis arising out of the promulgation of a Constitution which the Madhesis said deprived them of political inclusion and went against the assurances various political parties had given them. The agitation by the Madhesis and the resultant brutal crackdown by security forces have paralysed normal life in the Terai region of the country, led to deaths, created bad blood between citizens of Nepal, resulted in an economic crisis and chilled relations between New Delhi and Kathmandu.
In the face of the widespread protests by the Madhesi groups, the Government finally relented and tabled in Parliament a Constitution Amendment Bill to offer proportionate representation and allocation of parliamentary seats on the basis of population. These were two key demands of the Madhesi parties. Had the coalition Government of the Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) and the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-leninist) shown readiness earlier on and not found excuses to delay the tabling of the amendment Bill, its credibility among the protesters would have been greater. Unfortunately, until the last moment, the Government toyed with the idea of declining to table the amendment Bill and only bring in the reconstruction Bill relating to rehabilitation efforts in the wake of the earthquake. All of this, in addition to certain exclusions in the Bill, has left the Madhesi front dissatisfied.
The UDMF has refused to as of now join talks with the Government to end the agitation. Its leaders believe that the amendments are a farce and an attempt to “mislead” the people. It has alleged that the Bill aimed to dilute the inclusion provision by creating clusters, which was against past practices. The front also claimed that since the Bill proposed to delineate election constituencies on the basis of population and geographical characteristics keeping the structure of 75 districts intact, it was against the concept of a federal state. There is no alternative to talks, and this is what the Nepali Congress leaders have impressed upon on the leaders of the UDMF. While the agitating Madhesi leaders have agreed to move swiftly to resolve the issue, the resolution can happen only if there is a starting point for discussions with the Government. The amendment Bill should become that point, and one hopes the Nepali Congress's goodwill among the Madhesis helps in this direction.
Meanwhile, an immediate issue, from both India's and Nepal's perspective, is to quickly mend relations between the two countries. One way of doing it is to resolve the issue of Indian vehicles carrying essential goods including fuel to Nepal. Normalcy will return once the Madhesi agitation ends in the Terai region and the Indian vehicles return to the days of unencumbered entry into Nepal. Nepal's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Kamal Thapa has had extensive talks with the Indian leadership during his two recent visits to India and had said that many “misunderstandings” were removed. Hopefully, some of these related to the supposed Indian role in the crisis. New Delhi does not stand to gain anything, and has a good deal to lose, from the unrest.