Local youths on Tuesday burned effigies of Madhesi leaders belonging to Sanghiya Samajbadi Forum Nepal (SSFN) and Rastriya Janata Party Nepal (RJPN) in Janakpur, Dhanusha district to protest the leaders’ preference to address the first Provincial Assembly meeting in Hindi language.

SSFN leader Lalbabu Raut and RJPN leader Jitendra Sonal had addressed the first assembly meeting of Province 2 in Hindi language on Sunday. Nepali Congress leader Ram Saroj Yadav, CPN-UML leader Satya Narayan Mandal and Shatrughan Mahato and CPN (Maoist Centre) leader Bharat Sah had, however, addressed in local Maithili language.

One of the youth campaigners of the protest, Sushil Karna, said: “Many protests were launched in the past in the name of identity but now our leaders seem to have forgotten our mother language. We burnt their effigies as a sign of warning.”

Karna urged the Provincial Assembly members to use local languages of Province 2 which includes Maithili, Bhojpuri, and Tharu, among others.

“We cannot tolerate the disrespect to our mother tongue and priority to foreign language. Otherwise, we will resort to protest,” warned Bittu Pariyar, a member of Youth for Change.

Earlier during the swearing-in ceremony in the Province 2, 47 lawmakers had taken the oath of office and secrecy in Maithili, 25 in Bhojpuri, 24 in Nepali and 11 in Hindi language. The Province Assembly members who addressed the assembly in Hindi language were from RJPN.