The recent first amendment to the constitution of Nepal was passed by the government to put an end to an ongoing ethnic movement. However, it was rejected by the Madhesi people, one of the main ethnic parties of Nepal, who believe the amendment infringes upon their political rights. A late-night Saturday vote was boycotted by the members of the parties and Laxman Lal Karna of the United Madhesi Font said on Sunday that the amendment was incomplete and did not address their concerns. He also said that it didn’t even touch their main demand for changing the borders of the provinces.
The movement of the Madhesi people started months ago with the issue of division of the provinces, which led to the autonomy right of their people. They claim that the constitution is responsible for unfairly dividing the seven states with borders, thus destroying their ancestral homeland. A larger state, government support, and more local autonomy are some of the things they want.
The Madhesi people inhabit the flat southern region of Nepal known as the Madesh. According to the population census in 2011, Terai occupies 17 percent of the total area in Nepal and has 51 percent of the Nepalese population. Of the total population of Nepal in Terai, 22 percent are Madhesis while 29 percent are non-Madhesis. They are one of the oldest ethnic groups in Nepal.
A new constitution was proclaimed in Nepal on September 20, 2015 which has failed to satisfy the Madhesi and Tharus, who constitute 70 percent of the Terai population and feel that the formation of seven federal provinces as per the constitution was grossly unjust to them. Only eight districts in the Terai region have been given the honor of province, from Saptari to the east to Parsa on the west, with the only possible purpose of converting the local people into a minority. The Madhesis and the Tharus were sidelined in the entire constitution making process due to distrust towards them among the mainstream political parties.
None of the major Madhesis based parties singed the constitution, as it has serious flaws. Despite having a provision of 165 seats, the Madhesis were given 65 seats, and the people from the hill region were given 100 seats, excluding the fact that the Madhesis’ territory covers almost half the country.
This insensitivity has given birth to the protest that started in August and is still ongoing. At least 50 people were killed because of this protest since then. Last Thursday, three of the Madhesi people were killed by the Nepal police as they were trying to attack a political rally organized by the ruling Communist party of Nepal.
Nepal is passing through a very tough time, and this political rift has to come to an end. This protest has blocked a key border crossing with India, through which the country gets its fuel and other resources, and consequently, Nepal currently has a serious shortage of fuel and medicine. This problem needs to be solved immediately.Otherwise, the country will face severe damage and internal chaos.
The identity of the Terai people is in doubt, so they are fighting to establish their existence in a region they used to know their homeland. But, at that very place, they are not receiving fair political rights. Moreover, the ruling authority plans to treat them as a minority. To sum up, it can be said that the changing demography of Terai deserves critical scrutiny in light of the developments taking place in the region today.
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