Nepal Govt. has violated agreement reached with Madhesis, say local residents

The reason why Madhesi people in Nepal have taken to the streets is that the agreement that had been reached between the Government and the Madhesi people, that the rights of Madhesis would be safeguarded in the Constitution, has not been implemented, said a Nepalese local living on the Indo-Nepal border.

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"The government is again and again urging us to hold talks. There is no need of talks. There would have been a need if our demands and rights were safeguarded in the Constitution as per the agreement that was reached," he added.

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He also said that the people would not have taken to the streets if the demands and rights were safeguarded in the newly adopted Constitution.

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He said that the government does not have the right attitude towards Madhesis, Tharus, Adivasis and Muslims.

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"The government also over-looked the pressure from other countries that pressed Nepal to safeguard the rights of all the citizens in the Constitution," he said.

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Another Nepalese local said, "Many people have died in the process of bringing the Constitution."

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"Violence is of no use. Protests have never resolved anything," he added.

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President of Nepal, Ram Baran Yadav, on Sunday announced the adoption of a new 'secular and democratic' Constitution.

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The protests, which have been going on for weeks, are severe in southern part of the country where certain ethnic minorities are opposing the proposed boundaries of the new provinces.