With a smiling Prachanda, Maoist Chairman, on his left and a satisfied Madhav Kumar Nepal, CPN UML General Secretary, on his right, Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala appeared in front of cameras (which was nationally broadcast on Radio Nepal) 11 PM yesterday to declare that the eight parties have agreed to guarantee the Terai region representation in the constituent assembly in proportion to its population. Addressing the nation for the second time in less than a week, PM Koirala said, “The constituencies in the terai region will be increased in proportion to its population and the seats to be elected through a proportional representation system will also be increased accordingly.”
Leaders involved in the negotiations said that the 20 districts in the southern strip with 48.4 percent of the country’s population will get 49 percent seats in the Constituent Assembly, while 51 percent seats will be divided among the 55 hilly and Himalayan districts that have 51.6 percent of the population. Koirala also said that all the groups in the country including Madhesi, dalits, janajatis, women, laborers, peasants and backward classes and regions will be included in the state organs on the basis of the principle of proportional inclusion. Koirala said the government will make necessary arrangements to address the issues of a federal system of governance and delineation of electoral constituencies through immediate amendment in the Interim Constitution.
“The government is committed to fulfilling the legitimate demands raised (by Madhesi people) during the movement. It is our collective commitment to hold constituent assembly elections by mid-June, for which the constituencies will be delineated on the basis of equal population, geographical feasibility and specialty.”
Koirala also appealed to all the agitating groups to end their protests and explore solutions to their problems through dialogue. Koirala applauded the role of the Madhesi people in past democratic movements and said he respects the spirit of the Madhesi people. He also expressed sorrow over the demise of civilians and security personnel during the three-week-long movement. The prime minister also pledged relief to all the victims’ families, wished for the speedy recovery of the injured, assured their treatment, and regretted the loss of property. The prime minister also appealed to the people for their goodwill, tolerance and harmony in order to hold constituent assembly elections as a way to consolidate the democratic system in the country.
The terai unrest, which sparked from Lahan on January 19, claimed the lives of 21 people and left hundreds injured. Similarly, hundreds of government offices and private properties have been vandalized during the last three weeks. The violence began after a Maoist cadre escorting party leader Ram Karki shot dead Madhesi Janaadhikar Forum activist Ramesh Kumar Mahato in Lahan. The violence spread to other terai districts after Maoists seized Mahato’s body and forced family members to cremate the body.
Now everyone is happy
Leaders of the eight parties have voiced their collective support for Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala’s address to the nation and said it will put an end to the terai unrest. The leaders have also made a written commitment that they are serious about and sensitive towards the movement in the terai and want to resolve the problem by addressing the Madhesi people’s demands and aspirations.
“We support and agree with the issues addressed by the prime minister, to amend the constitution to ensure a federal structure, and provide for more constituencies in the terai districts based on population,” said the commitment paper signed by the eight party leaders. Sushil Koirala of Nepali Congress, Madhav Nepal of the CPN-UML, Prachanda of CPN (Maoist), Gopal Man Shrestha of NC (Democratic), Amik Sherchan of People’s Front Nepal, Bharat Bimal Yadav of Nepal Sadbhavana Party (Anandi Devi), Narayan Man Bijukchhe of Nepal Workers and Peasants Party and CP Mainali of United Left Font signed the commitment.
“This was a unanimous decision. It has addressed the demands of the terai and the protests would come to an end,” said Rajendra Mahato, general secretary of NSP(A). Dr Ram Baran Yadav of NC said all the demands of the Madhesi people have been addressed. Bimalendra Nidhi, general secretary of NC(D), said the address by the prime minister has fulfilled the demands of the Madhesi people. He said, “Now we should stop the agitation and work to amend the Interim Constitution.” Similarly, UML General Secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal said the prime minister’s address was complete unlike his previous address. “This address has amended the weaknesses of the last address,” he said.
United We Blog 
Comments
78 responses to “Nepal in Transition: Terai Gets Tonnes of Seats in Constituent Assembly”
correction.. nepal does not feed on tourism. 77% of the national revenue collected is from terai. that is another panche myth that pahadis happily accept coz then they can channel all national money to pahad. how about building more infrastructure in terai?
scoop,
Do you want to know more?
1. The compulsion donation collecting by maoist (SPA’s silent support) is Democratic donation.
2. The suppression of SPAM in terai is Democratic suppression.
3 The drama on terai issue by SPAM is Democratic drama.
4. The open gun carried by maoist supported by SPA is democratic gun.
GPK, Prachanda, Madhav are supremo of the supreme now, whatever they feel comfortable they decide immediately inside the room, signed it and announce it. I just wonder what is the use of current Interim parliament? They are making them just fool and bunch of jokers, IC finalisation and addressing the demand of terai clearly potrays this reality.
Why you always copy and paste in ur UWB from http://www.ekantipur.com? Are not you concern abt. the copyright issues?
didn’t say demands shud be supressed…i agree eveyone needs recognition and their demands be fulfilled but why blindly support leaders who demand recognition to go to parliament and enjoy it’s perks and forget why they r there…and FYI the country is already on the road to division…
Sagarmatha,
Sorry about asking you these questions. It’s just the ridiculousness of the whole appraoch that get’s me going. I mean the same police were used in an andolan to keep the law and order, an andolan infiltrated with a group tagged terrorists by none other then the SPA themselves, and when the same cops are used to maintain law and order in the terai they see it differently. Infact the andolan in the terai was a much more spontaneous event then the janandolan which was orchestrated anf planned by the maoists way before it occured.
Angelica,
It is already mentioned in previous post that this Interim parliament is nothing but just seems like bunch of good obeyer (in decent word) to pass the document of Prachanda and GPK. Main parliament role is played in PM’s resident where evrything done there. Just for the formality the draft come to the parliament giving some hours of time just to make drama, and passed it. You might have seen the drama in the house in passing Iterim constitution and terai issue. Isn’t it funny??
The issue of ethnic crisis was already mentioned by sociologists to SPAM. If it is not handled well without being bias, our country will certainly head toward division. The next karnali people will uprise with Khumbuwan and Limbuwan. It is natural, yesterday they were dominated by king who won them by the battle, but today why do they like to be dominated by “Dick and Harry”. They definately demand equal rights and equal opportunities whatever blame is there.
i agree journalists shouldn’t be targeted, and definately not killed… but in a revolution, when the information in the news is hurting your cause, the madhesis did right by hindering their work in information collection. i don’t think any other way except violence could achieve that. and then, kantipur shamelessly highlighted their minor scars and bruises while never showing any injured (or dead) madhesi.
Sagarmatha,
Good point – GPK, Prachanda, Madhav are supremo of the supreme now, whatever they feel comfortable they decide immediately inside the room, signed it and announce it. I just wonder what is the use of current Interim parliament?
Wait till the new government is formed after arms management, which will again be called as ‘interim government’ in which the entire state power will be shared by the same guys while other oppressed will keep on living with a dream of a new constituion throgh CA election and opportunity of power- and previledge-sharing. If any one protested, will be told to keep calm or shot into their heads in the name of keeping peace while others will keep playing the flute. Histroy tell us that this is how power-grab perpetuates for decades and centuries.
The oppressed must be proportionately part of the ongoing process now, and not later – including political and public service appointments in all state organs and state-owned companies. Reservations in all fields right way. Learn from South Africa…….
I am happy to learn that Madhesi people of Nepal fought for their rights. Though, some might say that the dominance of People of Indian Origin in mainstream politics of Nepal has crossed all limits, I do not agree to this notion.
The recent protests carried out by JTMM sent shocks and awe to all the political parties. Although it brought Nepal to a grinding halt, it also sent a clear message that Maoists are not the only force. Though many analysts feel that it will lead to ethnic unrest all over the country, I feel that it will only make the Maoists weaker since they’ve always claimed that they represent all the minority groups, and lack of control over these ethnic groups will prove the point further. Weaker Maoists will bring back the much needed balance as the government too will realize that they need not bend backwards for them.
So where will it all end? Perhaps, time will tell otherwise but I strongly feel that it will eradicate the current dominant ethnic group from mainstream politics forever and will certainly bring people who are of different ethnic backgrounds which is the need of the hour.
Congrats Madhesis … you have won your rights in the right manner. Theres really no forum to address your grievances but by getting really aggressive. Your cause is a fist in the face of Maoists which was much needed, they must crying that what they achieved in 10 yrs, you guys did in 1 month. The real solution for Nepal is a democratic and an inclusive society and both SPA + M will never let that happen. We all need to fight for our own rights and thats the only way to get it.
We will soon be launching a massive Limbuwan campaign that will paralyze the east. I know many people will suffer, my people will suffer but I know there is no other way. Let us rise and fight. But at the same time let us understand that we are only fighting those powerful few who make all the rules for themselves. Let not this fight for rights turn into a communual one. Let us understand each other and stop targeting each other. The real bastards sit in Kathmandu raping this country agian and again. Targeting common Pahade, Madhese .. will only make those people stronger.
Patiot: tell me you are joking. I agree the bastards sitting in KTM are indeed bastards but Nepal really does not need more bhands and disruptions. Remember that even in KTM there are a handful of people who are the bastards. The majority of KTM residents are average Nepalis trying to live a regular life and make ends meet.
Bhudai – I wish I was joking. Nothing hurts me more than bandhs and people suffering. It is the last thing I want. I know I sound extremist but tell me is there any other way?? One thing though – our organizers are taking extreme measures to make this a peaceful one, not like the Madhes. We are trying to capitalize on Madhes success and believe such extreme force wont be necessary as we still have hope the leaders there will realise they dont want another Madhes scenario. But we also believe there will be few elements and infiltrations which will be beyond our control. We just hope leaders wont take too long time to hear us least it should take ugly turns.
Having said that few bandhs and tyre burning will be surely be required. But sure you wont find us carrying spears and vandalising others propoerty.
Patroit…. you seem to be doing what every nepali does, “If your neighbor is profiting by raising chicken then you’ll raise it too… but the sad reality is that everyone ends up losing as no one will buy it”.. Nepal is full of copycats.. are you?
Though its bit personal I hope you will understand my point.. If everyone is asking and fighting for their rights then who will perform their duties??
exactly my piont…Dino…i watched Katha Kathmandu yesterday and it told stories of 3 different people…all poor and labourers…a tailor who works even in Nepal bandha…a Paan wallah from bihar happy and positive towards Nepali’s potentials…and a little girl whose grandad is a gardener and maintains the gardens made to remember the martyrs…these people are the ones directly affected by nepal bandhs while they work to provide us service…development shud start for them…and these frequent bandhas are delaying it…if u have demands then fight for it without affecting these poor people who need to work 24/7…BTW Patriot it is alreday turning to communal…evidences being this bolg forum itself…
there already was communal hatred in nepal from long time, my grandafather still talks about slaying bahuns like they did while driving them down to jhapa. n there r many other incidents where this happened in khumbu area n tamang area, but it was hidden or made hidden. now it has heated up n come to this level. Many politicians has exploited this for thier interest including MB who benefited the most. n in this diversity culturally, linguistically, religiously, it is inevitable untill n unless everybody has equal rights and fair constitution for every communities. otherwise incidents that just happend recently would continue now n again, MB was never the core problem of nepal ,this all r the core problems of nepal still waiting to b solved…
Dino,
“If everyone is asking and fighting for their rights then who will perform their duties?? ”
Performing duties is alien concept in Nepal. All we want is our rights and there are the Nepal government, international agencies, donor nations that work for us.
Sure Dino, Angelica – I know I risk being labelled communual and I’m not sure how much you’ll be convinced if I say I am not. My family has a history of helping Bahuns and getting stabbed time and again … but thats not the point nor am I implying all Bahuns stab … if I believed otherwise I’d be communual.
The point is … Nepal really doesnt have an effective forum to address grievances. Only way is to make a lot of noise. Unfortunately Bahuns seem to be at the helm of all power centers in Nepal and hence in the most responsible places. Natuarally you cant help the general feeling out there that we are being sidelined simply because we are different/look different. I wish there was a better way of getting our rights but I bet you cant offer me one. Besides your theory of “raising chicken” is hilarious. Please come up with something better if you have to.
The days of ethenic politics are here to stay, and we will be having frequent bands and shutdowns. The way to achieve your objective has been shown by the madesh revolt, and if not properly handeled Nepal will be history.
Even maobadi says it:
Dr. Bhattarai lays emphasis on advancing class-based politics
At a time when various groups within the country have started demanding ethnicity based rights and autonomy, a senior Maoist leader has said that class-based politics should be advanced.
“Politics based on class ideology by integrating all concerns of ethnic, lingual, or gender aspects should be advanced. However, autonomy and right to self-determination must be respected,” Dr. Bhattarai said, speaking at a program in the capital on Friday organized by Nepal National Intellectuals Organisation.
“Otherwise, something unthinkable can happen,” he warned.
i was suprised that maoists arm registration and storage completed when majority of people are focused on Tarai uprising. There could be a connection. When goverment and rest of countrymen were busy with the Tarai news maoists wrapped up all those thing quietly. And now Tarai is back to normal. Now I am not sure if registered guns and rebels are real. I heard Moriarty saying that maoists are buying cheap weapon from Bihar and registering fake PLA. I wonder there is something wrong with all sequence of events.
racial hatred xenophobia all over Europe
poeple are afraid of suffering of change
try and understand the poor stupid
cahnge has arrived
my duty is your right
Patriot.. maybe you didn’t like my chicken example but then again I didn’t expect you to like it… well guess what?? I don’t like your protest strategy either.. you can Surely do better than that.. tou-che!!!
All this ethenic problem will surely make the average working nepali poorer, and the country will be taken back by 240 years. The political parties and the agatitating parties must come up with someother way of protesting rather than resort to indefinite bands and chakka jams.
These bands and chakka jams will not effect the SPAM, but the Nepali people will suffer. people will die for want of medical treatment during these bands, lot of people will miss the appointments and tourist inflow to nepal will stop during these bands.
My request to all, let us find someother form of protest that will substitute the bands, chakka jams and tyre burning. Or like in India, have a band from 6 am to 6 pm only, so nepal will work during the night and sleep during the day
nepal must learn from India. India has more languages spoken than There then in nepal. But in the Indian Parliament, only two languages are allowed, Hindi & English.
So nepal parliament should allow only two language in the Parliament:
1. Nepali 2. English
In the local nagarpalika and villages, three language should be allowed.
1. Nepali, 2. local language of that area, 3 English.
Patriot..i’m genuinely sorry u and your family were stabbed by bahuns…i agree with u that bahuns stab…and wont reckon u communal for that…being bahun my family’s been stabbed by bahuns…but not all stab…those stabbed dont stab others coz they know the pain…all i’m saying is the poor are comprised of all races so think about poor and not race…i’m advocating poor people and they include all races…don’t snatch “dhindo” from their mouth but if u can help them feed themselves basmati rice, two different veggies, buttered dal, chicken, comfort of clothes, shoes, concrete house, a quality education for their kids…each and every NEPALI deserves this and by NEPALI i didnt mean only bahuns and chhettris…i may be dreaming but i dream for my country and my people…am i soundin like those pathetic politicians..aarghh…
i wrote “BTW Patriot it is alreday turning to communal…evidences being this bolg forum itself…” i didnt say u were communal i said the fight in nepal in turning communal and i could see it in this whole blog forum…
common… wat moderation man…wat did i write so bad…
Whatever …