KATHMANDU, JANUARY 27

Upendra Yadav is a leader who rose to power and prominence as a result of Madhesi sacrifice and martyrdom; however, he has recently begun to hurt Madhesi feelings.

In an exclusive interview with The Himalayan Times, senior leader of Loktantrik Samajwadi Party-Nepal (LSP-N) and former deputy prime minister Rajendra Mahato, stated that Upendra Yadav, the chair of the Janata Samajwadi Party-Nepal, was benefiting from all the positions of power that have been bestowed upon him as a result of the Madhes movements, which claimed the lives of 117 innocent Madhesis. However, he has begun to play with the sentiments of Madhesis, colluding with forces that have never bothered to think in Madhesis' favor.

'Yadav's activities and responsibilities continue to have enormous significance and influence because he emerged from the ashes of the Madhesi movements. Sadly, it now seems that Yadav merely utilized the movements as rungs on the ladder to ascend to power,' Mahato said.

'He has gotten to the point where he does not hesitate to support agreements against the Madhes. These demonstrate that Upendra Yadav never attempted to make the Madhes prosperous.

Mahato said that in order to make the Madhes prosperous, one must sacrifice one's narcissistic nature and abandon power-hungry politics, but he added, 'Yadav has become so arrogant that he has forgotten to distinguish between who is his own and who is not. He has begun to attack his colleagues.'

The conflict between Janamat and the Janata Samajwadi Party-Nepal has recently worsened. The chair of JSP-N, Upendra Yadav, was invited as chief guest to Saptari, where in the latest Lower House elections, Janamat Chair CK Raut defeated him. Despite this, Yadav was invited to the foundation-laying ceremony for Madhes Agriculture University on January 23.

Despite Janamat's objections, Yadav attended and laid the foundation stone for the university. It resulted in clashes between police and Janamat Party cadres. Mahesh Prasad Yadav, Madhes minister of education, was injured in a fight with police that also involved other Janamat leaders.

Consequently, the Janamat Party quit the JSP-N led Madhes government and is contemplating a move out of the federal government. 'CK Raut and Yadav both competed in the election, and Yadav was defeated, but Raut is also working for Madhes. Hence, even though they are rivals, they should be working together on Madhes agendas,' said Mahato, adding,

'However, Yadav has been stepping back from it. Attacking colleagues from the Madhes is an attack on Madhesi sentiment. It has harmed the Madhesis. As a result, the incident in Saptari, which was solely about the chief guest issue, has hurt the Madhes and its people.'

He also expressed that, on the one hand, ruling parties have been playing with Madhesis and using them as a voting bloc. Furthermore, the humiliation of and discrimination against Madhes have already caused significant harm.

'Now, if leaders who have been able to establish themselves due to Madhes show similar traits, just as the Gorkhali community does by attacking its own people, then what will be the differences between them and us?' he questioned.

'Upendra Yadav's actions are absolutely unacceptable and unforgivable. However, this does not imply that I support Raut. He has drawbacks, including a lack of vision and political philosophy. People are evaluating him. But he works for Madhes, which we must appreciate. Thus, rather than destroying Madhesi leaders, we should protect them. Competition is good practice, but a healthy and friendly contest is needed,' he added.

Mahato argued that competition should be used to strengthen rather than destroy one another. But what Yadav did in Saptari is completely unethical. He is being used by the ruling parties while pushing back his own people.

For example, he should assist his own people in avoiding being convicted for movements, but he is fighting against his own rather than opposing such discriminatory behavior, according to Mahato.

'Four Madhes-centric parties are represented in the government. They should put pressure on the coalition to make Madhes a prosperous province, but they are fighting amongst themselves, hurting Madhesi sentiments,' said the veteran leader.

He cautioned, 'Yadav must not underestimate the power of the people.' The same people who helped him gain political power. They will not leave him with a reputation as such. The recent House of Representatives election is a stark example of this. He was deposed by his own people in his own den when CK Raut defeated him in Saptari-2. He must not forget that.'