Members of the United Democratic Madhesi Front on Tuesday rejected the Nepal government’s three-point proposal to address some of their demands for changes in the country’s new constitution. They claimed the proposals were “vague, abstract and visionless”, the Economic Times reported. The government had floated the possible changes on Sunday, which included provisions to ensure that the Madhesi community gets adequate representation in state bodies, and is allocated some seats in Parliament. The government also proposed that a high-level committee would try to re-demarcate provincial boundaries in the areas where they live within three months.
Senior members of the UDMF presented a set of 11 demands in a meeting with Cabinet officials, led by Deputy Prime Minister Kamal Thapa on Tuesday. Soon after, they issued a statement saying the proposals did not meet the concerns of the Front and other marginalised groups.
The community will continue its protests, the leaders said, stretching the political crisis in the country to beyond four months. They said they will carry on their stir until the provincial boundaries get demarcated, they get proportional representation in all state organs and electoral constituencies are formed on the basis of population.
The Indian-origin Madhesis have been protesting since August against provisions of the new Constitution, saying it divides their ancestral land and politically marginalises them. More than 50 people have been killed in the upheaval. The Indian government has been blamed for being complicit and favouring blockades around the Madhesi areas along the border, leading to a shortfall in essential supplies to the landlocked country.
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