Birgunj, September 9

Tharu seniors and Constituent Assembly members today announced they would make their ongoing agitation in the Tarai Madhes decisive.

Addressing a protest rally organised by Tharuhat Struggle Committee and Tharu Welfare Committee in Sakhuwa Prasauni, Parsa, Tharu seniors and CA members declared they would make their agitation in the Tarai decisive.

Federal Democratic Tharuhat National Front CA member Rukmini Chaudhary accused the three major parties of holding 601 CA members captive. Saying there are 42 Tharu CA members, Chaudhary alleged that the three major parties had not even allowed CA members to enter constitution drafting committee.

She said the seven-province federal model was against the Tharu people. She said Tharus and Madhesis would make their agitation in the plains effective and decisive.

Further, CA member Chaudhary charged that the state had premeditated the Tikapur incident.

She added that police had opened fire on agitators, who were protesting peacefully. She blamed the government of not creating a conducive environment for talks.

Tharuhat Tharuwan Joint Struggle Committee General Secretary Kishor Biswas warned that promulgation of the new statute without addressing the demands of Tharus, Madhesi, Dalits and ethnic people would plunge the country into civil war.

“Tharus have been residing in the territory of the country for hundreds of years. If the new statute robs us of water, jungle, land, identity and culture, we shall raise weapons,” Biswas warned.

He stated that begging for alms would not fetch them their rights.

Biswas stressed the need to make their agitation stringent so as to protect their land as well as ethnic identity which have been a part of the country for long.