Madhes enigma: 100 days of calling us rebels without a cause

Madhes Diary III:

100 days of Madhes movement despite peaceful execution is still being ignored by the establishment, which has left the people angry and restless. Some call it a madness of the current army of so-called-ministers led by their admiral and a comedian, PM Oli, who is selfish, stubborn and tunnel-visioned. The lack of interest and apathy shown by the herd of Nepali ministers to address the real problem at hand is a stupendous exemplification of a well-known ukhan “12 barsa ramayan padyo…. Sita kasko budi bhanda Hanuman ko”. Their intentions have always been to deflect the Madhesi agenda, and sheepishly and foolishly call it a blockade by India. Forget discussing and agreeing to the demands of the Madhesi people, they don’t even want to address the raised questions. If they don’t know what and how to do it, here is what they should:

• Amend the constitution to ensure autonomy of federal provinces to give real meaning to new Nepal, which boldly asserts that it is federal, democratic and republic.
• Electoral constituency based on population as every people born equal with the principle of One man, One vote to ensure their political participation.
• Proportional representation in state apparatus; thus, make Nepal truly inclusive for everyone.
• Citizenship provision as per the interim constitution and no discrimination based on gender and without xenophobic nationalism roots.

These are the basic universal demand of any bonafide citizen all over the world.

100 days of silent revolution have failed to make them understand that Madhes is the gateway to the home of Nepal. Madhes contributed to 55% of agricultural product, 70% of industrial production, 65% of all other economic activities contributing to Nepal’s GDP and more than 70% of revenue in 1975 (Gaige, 1975:23-26). Today, its contribution is more over the same, and in fact has increased its share through added remittance. Madhes is where Nepal gets food to feed its people. Without the foundation of Madhes, the idea of Nepal would be a passing thought in world history. If Nepal were a human avatar, Madhes is the heart and soul that pumps blood to the whole body to keep it functioning and alive. The soul of Kathmandu has got to wake up and acknowledge the dawn of a new order in Nepal, a Nepal where Kathmandu and Birgunj are like two brothers who respect each other.

100 days of peaceful resistance should be proof enough of the Madhesi commitment to an intellectual, responsible and harmonious way to get the Government of Nepal to realize the Madhesi desire to now also have its stake in the unfolding story of Nepal. Instead, the herd and the Admiral are now plotting to give birth to more brave and courageous Madhesi martyrs by killing more people. It unsettles my conscience to think that Madhesis have to bear more sorrow and experience the loss of their loved ones. I’ve had sleepless nights after hearing about the loss of lives in Saptari. Remember, Madhesis have lost so much since the past 250 years that now we think we don’t have any more to lose, both physically and mentally. Despite losing so much, Madhesis have gained confidence and the audacity to hope that a Nepal where they can also be leaders, where they also have a place in Nepali history and whey they are equal is near. The crooked and dishonest armada of Oli better realize the kind of force and movement it is dealing with. If they still insist on sidelining the situation and treating us as slaves, then the time when all of Madhes feels that it has lost everything and has to start over again is just knocking on the doors. At this juncture, it’s appropriate to remember Chuck Palahniuk’s words, “It’s only after we’ve lost everything that we’re free to do anything”.

Sohan Prasad Sha hails from Janakpur, Nepal. He is a PhD candidate in Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi, India. you can tweet him at @sohan_sk. The previous series of this diary can be read here.