SIRAHA, FEBRUARY 17

Janata Samajbadi Party-Nepal Chairperson Upendra Yadav has said there is need of a strong political party in Madhes led by a native leader and ideology.

Addressing a party programme in Aurahi Rural Municipality,Siraha, today, the JSP-N leader, referred to the latest dispute in his own party, and quipped that Madhesis have by now learnt to enjoy the fruits of their labour.

'Gone are the days when the Madhesis would work hard planting and tending a plant and would expect non-Madhesis to reap the benefits. Madhesis have by now learnt how to enjoy the fruits of their labour,' said the Madhesi leader.

'We have to fight for the rights of Madhesis, women, Dalits and minority communities.

For this, we need a strong political force in Madhes,' he said.

Yadav lobbied for a proportional election system. 'The existing election system is very expensive and isn't suitable for a poor country like ours. So, there is need to replace the present system with proportional election system,' Yadav said. He also conveyed his support for a directly elected presidential system.

On a different note, the former minister also highlighted the need to resolve citizenship-related issue. 'The parents born in Nepal get by-birth citizenship certificate, but their kids don't. This is a crime, so there is need to amend the citizenship bill and resolve this issue,' he said.

The JSP-N leader also took the opportunity to note how the Madhes agitation and revolt has changed the entire governance system. 'We've seen a number of movements in our country. While most of them changed the persons or party in power, Madhes movement was able to change the entire system,' he observed.

Yadav also stressed the need to amend the constitution to ensure rights to all citizens.

A version of this article appears in the print on February 18, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.