Nepal govt faces pushback on attempts to attend crisis

By Deepak Adhikari

KATHMANDU, Nepal

The Nepali government's attempts to ease political tension in the country by proposing an amendment to the constitution was met with a counter-protest from the opposition on Wednesday.

Last year's rushed constitution led to violent protests by ethnic Madhesis, who live in the country's southern plains and have demanded greater representation through a federal set-up.

The government needs a two-thirds majority in parliament to progress with their proposal to create another federal state in the country's southwest but the main opposition in parliament, the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist), protested in areas that themselves felt aggrieved by the demands of the Madhesis, who have strong links to neighboring India.

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal came to power in August pledging to meet the Mahdesi demands by amending the constitution but the move has challenged the political stability of a country that only emerged from a 10-year Maoist insurgency in 2006.

More than 50 people were killed during last year's protest, which also led to an unofficial blockade by India that created shortages of basic necessities.

Upendra Yadav, chairman of the Federal Socialist Forum, Nepal -- one of the protesting groups, said the amendments failed to address their demands.

“It hasn’t addressed our demands of 10 autonomous federal states and self-rule. The proposal cannot end regional, ethnic, gender, linguistic, cultural and religious discrimination,” he said in a statement.

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Dahal tried to assuage his critics, arguing the amendments would pave the way for long-overdue elections in Nepal, a key to implementing the charter.

“The proposal represents national unity. To oppose it is to go against our national unity,” he said.

But political observers citing past disagreements, which have led to a stalemate, cast doubt over the constitution’s longevity and long-term political stability in Nepal.

“The amendment is seen as necessary for elections, without which the current constitution will fail. The ruling coalition, therefore, has proposed amendments related to demarcation of provinces, more representation in the national assembly, citizenship and language,” political analyst Ajay Bhadra Khanal wrote Wednesday in The Kathmandu Post newspaper.

“However, there are other significant demands of the Madhes that haven’t been addressed,” he wrote.