This is unfortunate to note that on one hand a larger part of the nation is jubilant celebrating the new constitution and on the other hand people are getting killed in the Tarai region opposing it. It is a historic moment for a nation to have a secular and democratic Constitution. Nepal has finally succeeded in promulgating its constitution after 65 years’ struggle. This period of struggle has seen considerable violence and loss of human lives. It will be better if the new constitution is welcomed by all parts of the country. Madhes-based parties are in agitation in the plains claiming that their demands have not been incorporated in the constitution, particularly over the demarcation of the federal units. As a result of the agitation, more than 40 innocent citizens have lost their lives till date and the chances are that this number will rise, if immediate corrective measures are not taken by all stakeholders. Obviously, the Big III has a greater role and responsibility to address the problem. They need to accelerate the dialogue with the agitating parties and the latter should also cooperate with them to find a negotiated settlement of the problem. The genuine concerns need to be addressed and settled amicably without losing much time in the best interest of the nation. Any further delay in the process will invariably give room for long time agitations and it may even become a never ending problem. People tend to fight for their rights and their legitimate demands should be addressed without hesitation. The country has to move forward towards peace and prosperity.

Uday Bindu Sharma, via e-mail

Right move

Prime Minister Sushil Koirala has cancelled his scheduled visit to New York to address the 70th UN General Assembly. Reading this news has made me cheerful because he put the national interest at the top of the list of his priorities and he cancelled his formal visit to UNGA. It was a wise decision on his part to cancel his visit when the nation is passing through a difficult political crisis, that too, after the promulgation of the new constitution.

Though the new constitution was promulgated and came into force on September 20, the ongoing unrest in the Terai-Madhes has not come to an end. What I think is that most of the concerns of the Madhesis, Tharus and other marginalized communities have been duly addressed by the new constitution which has been dubbed as the most inclusive constitution in South Asia. As the PM has cancelled his New York visit, he should focus on resolving the problem through dialogue. The agitating parties also need to call off their agitation and return to the negotiating table to find a solution to the issues that they have raised.

Lila Bhattarai, Kathmandu