Madhesis bring their problems to Delhi

Want India to intervene and sort out problems with Nepal leadership

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A large contingent of leaders from the plains of Nepal, known as the Terai (the inhabitants are termed Madhesis), are in India to push the government here to intervene on their contentious problem with that country’s new Constitution. Madhesi political groups have launched an agitation after their demand for constitutional backing for separate states and related issues, such as more political representation, wasn’t accepted by the other political parties.

The central government here has already indicated clearly that it wishes that Constitution to accommodate the interests of all communities, particularly the Terai-based. Madhesi leaders claim that based on tacit assurances from India, they launched an agitation to put pressure on the government in Kathmandu. This included a blockade of most transit points. Most of the supplies to the hill areas of Nepal, a landlocked country, get there by road via transit points in Bengal, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. If these do not function, supply lines to Kathmandu — the capital — are choked. This is especially relevant for oil and kerosene supplies that Indian companies export to Nepal. The blockade is now nearly 80 days old and people in Madhes are getting restive.

Kathmandu has since done a deal with China to get oil supplies. In response, Madhes parties have launched a ‘Go Back China’ campaign, fearing that their campaign would then lack weight. In Delhi, there is talk of how India has betrayed the Madhes people, after allegedly egging them on to assert themselves. The desperate leaders are flagging a range of opportunities that India can use to stay in the political game in Nepal. Obviously, most of these suggestions are being discounted by official circles here.

The Indian advice is that all Nepalis have to fight their political battles themselves. However, the crisis in Terai is beginning to take a toll. Ordinary people are finding it hard to make ends meet because work has dried since the blockade began. Now, with festivals like Tihar (Diwali) and Chhath approaching, there is a lack of food. Factories and small business establishments are getting restive. They are also afraid of resuming work because this will compromise the ongoing Madhesi movement. Kathmandu is equally determined not to give in to the demands of ‘Indian agents’.

Who are Madhesis

These are the people who settled in the southern plains of Nepal, battling malaria and clearing forests to claim fertile land. Madhesis living close to the Indian border have properties in both countries. According to the 2001 Nepal census, they constitute 57 per cent of the population. More akin to Indian culture, they speak Maithili, Bhojpuri and Avadhi.

They live with Tharu tribals in the mid- and far-western districts of Nepal. A majority of them are Hindu, though the Muslim population is growing.Nearly 60 per cent of Nepal's GDP iscontributed by this region. All industries in Nepal are located in the Terai. The East-West Highway that links the two ends of Nepal and is its lifeline,passes through the region. Madhesis have been considered with adegree of contempt by ethnic Nepalis who see themselves as the victors and Madhesis as the vanquished and collaborators.

Madhes king Hari Singh Dev established a small kingdom, but this was swallowed up by Prithvi Narayan Shah.The recruitment of Madhesis in the army was barred 200 years ago and has resumed only recently. In 1816, the colonial British army (then ruling over India) defeated Nepali forces. A few landlords in Madhes supported the British during the war and were branded as traitors, an image that has persisted.Though they contributed significantly to the democracy movement in 1951, they continued to be denied equal participation. Hindi teaching was banned by King Mahendra in the interest of national integration.

Citizenship has become a contentious issue. Many Madhesis have lived in Nepal for generations but are considered (and consider themselves) Indian. Some have the right to own property but many don't. Many don't have the right to vote. Till 1950, despite being Nepalis,they needed a permit to visit Kathmandu. They are referred to as ‘dhotis’-because they don’t wear the national dress of Nepal, the Daura Saruwar.