Protests flare up in Tarai plains

BARA, August 9

An agreement on the six-province federal model with boundaries reached between the four major political parties last night has triggered protests across the plains.

Tarai Madhes Democratic Party on Sunday burnt copies of the agreement reached between the four major political parties and maps of the six-state model at Itiyahi of Bara, saying the deal was against Madhes and Madhesis. They shouted slogans against the four parties and their leaders.

Addressing a corner meeting, Joint General Secretary of Tarai Madhes Democratic Party Jitendra Sonal said the draft statute and parties’ deal to carve out the country into six provinces was a betrayal of Madhes and Madhesi. Sonal argued that to split Madhes was akin to asking Madhesis to commit suicide. He warned of waging a revolt against the four parties’ decision to deprive the Madhesi people of their rights.

Similarly, Federal Socialist Party Forum Nepal’s student wing Youth Forum burned the effigies of top leaders

of four major parties at Ghantaghar in Birgunj in protest of yesterday night’s deal to federate the country with six provinces with boundaries.

Cadres and leaders led by Youth Forum Parsa Chairman Jalsudin Ansari had burned the effigies of the prime minister and NC President Sushil Koirala, UML Chairman KP Oli, UCPN-Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Madhesi Janadhikar Forum Democratic Chairman Bijay Kumar Gachhadar.

Likewise, residents of Nirmal and Subarnapur and Thori VDCs staged a protest rally saying that they would not stay in the province allotted into the new pradesh, including Parsa.

An-all party meeting held on Sunday formed a struggle committee at Thori and announced a number of protest programmes to keep them in the Tarai region.

Madhes-centred parties burned the copies of the six-province federal model with boundaries in front of DAO in Rautahat. Many cadres and leaders of Madhesi parties including Joint Madhesi Democratic Morcha burned copies of maps of the federal model calling it a plot to split the Tarai Madhes.

Tarai Madhes Democratic Party’s Anil Singh warned of revolt and said no one would be spared. Singh said the discriminatory provision in citizenship would not be acceptable to them.

Madhesi Morcha organised a protest rally in Rajbiraj. Party cadres and leaders affiliated to the Morcha burned the effigies of the prime minister and NC

President Sushil Koirala, UML Chair KP Oli, UCPN-Maoist Chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal and MJF-D Chair

Bijay Kumar Gachhadar in Rajbiraj. They shouted slogan saying that the six-province model had betrayed Madhesi people’s aspirations. The agitators demanded guarantee of an autonomous Madhes.

Joint Democratic Madhesi Morcha called a transport strike in Janakpur in protest of the four parties’ deal on the six-province model. They enforced a chakkajam at Pidari Chowk from 5:00pm to 6:00pm saying that the six province model federal structure with boundaries was against Madhes and Madhesi people.