There is a possibility of a solution to the Madhesi crisis in Nepal soon. Himalayan nation’s Ambassador to India Deep Kumar Upadhyay told The Pioneer that a breakthrough is in the final stages and the Nepalese Government has shown a lot of flexibility. He said things will be resolved very soon in Kathmandu as economic development in Nepal is at a standstill right now.
“For instance on the issue of reservation, the Government has shown flexibility. The Government is positive now and willing to make changes. Parliament will give space to all people to put forward their view point. The Constitution is a continuous process and it can be amended again as per the aspirations of the people at any stage,” Upadhyay said.
India has advised the Nepalese Government and the protesting Madhesis to show some flexibility and come to a compromise soon to end the 110-day-long crisis in the Himalayan country over the allegedly biased Constitution.
During the recent meetings in New Delhi with Nepal’s Deputy Prime Minister Kamal Thapa and later with Madhesi leaders, India has urged both sides to reach a compromise at the earliest.
However, Mahendra Yadav, member of the Madhesi delegation visiting India, said they were not willing to climb down and want the Nepalese Government to accept all of their demands. “So many people have been injured in this struggle how can we compromise now. As of now, we are demanding rights in the Constitution but if this struggle is stretched for long things can go out of our hands and then the people will decide,” Yadav said.
People in the establishment have expressed apprehensions that if stretched for long, the present agitation can escalate into a demand for a separate state with greater autonomy and devolution of power.
A separate state for Indian-origin Madhesis has been a long-standing demand of the people in Terai region and with the younger lot joining the agitation against the new Constitution in Nepal, the demand for a separate state is slowly getting louder.
Federalism is an emotive issue in Nepal. There is a feeling among Madhesis that the traditional elite from the hills have ignored the demands of those from Terai. Experts on Nepal feel that the current Constitution is being seen as a polarising document and if not corrected now can give rise to a divisive situation.