The RJD has decided to plunge into the five-month long Madhesi agitation in Nepal in support of their movement and to fight for restoration of their constitutional rights in the Himalayan nation. RJD vice president and former Union Minister Raghubandh Prasad Singh even hinted that party supremo lalu Prasad too might travel to Nepal to give moral support to Madhesis.
Supporting the Madhesis and the Sadbhavna Party, whose president Rajendra Mahto was injured in police action in Nepal and now getting treatment in a New Delhi hospital, Singh said the Madhesi issue was no longer an internal matter of Nepal. He said he has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for India’s intervention and also appealed to the Chief Ministers of five States which have borders with Nepal to mount pressure on the Centre to intervene and end the deadlock.
Saying that Bihar has historical and cultural relations with Nepal, RJD leader was critical of the new constitution of the neighbouring country and said it has made Madhesis, which has 52% population, second class citizen. “The trade and tourism has badly affected and smuggling has increased on the borders particularly of petrol, diesel and gas. The Centre should immediately intervene to bring normalcy,” he said and sought help of all political parties to end the crisis.
He expressed concern over the increasing enmity between Madhesis and Paharis and anti-India feeling in Nepal allegedly spread by the Nepal Government. On the other hand, he alleged, China was trying to expand its influence in Nepal. The Nepal Government was encouraging smuggling in bid to weaken the agitation, Singh alleged and said the Seema Suraksha Bal was also turning a blind eye to the border smuggling.
The RJD also attacked the diplomatic failure of India and said the continued agitation would prove disastrous for Nepal and India relations. Singh’s statement came amid report that United Democratic Front of Madhes is planning to intensify its agitation against the Nepalese Government in support of their 14-point demand including proper citizenship, right to vote on basis of their population and proper classification of Madhes region.
The RJD leader recalled that in 1989 too Indo-Nepal had soured when Rajiv Gandhi Government showed its inaction and India had paid heavily as Nepal showed its inclination towards China and added that a similar situation has again emerged.