Madhes-based parties’ protests are on the wane in Jhapa, Morang and Sunsari.

Protests had picked up pace earlier demanding that the three districts or either one of them be included in State No 2. But majority of locals from the three districts had rejected the idea.

Central Member of Sanghiya Samajwadi Forum-Nepal, Rajram Yadav, said Morcha’s demonstrations were not as strong as they used to be earlier. “We changed the style of our protest after the government tried to create racial violence,” said Rajram.

Morang Chairman of CPN-UML, Mahesh Regmi, said the Morcha was bound not to get support from locals after it tried to include the three districts in State No 2. “Even ‘Yadav’ and ‘Chaudhary’ people in the districts are not willing to be part of a Madhes state,” said Regmi.

The thoroughfares in Biratngar which were earlier occupied by the protesters now are relatively calm.

A few days ago, civil society leaders, politicians, lawmakers and representatives of several other organisations staged demonstrations in Birtamod, Biratnagar and Itahari areas, demanding that Jhapa, Morang and Sunsari districts should remain a part of the same province. However, these demonstrations have abated now. Gopi Achhami, chairman of Morang UCPN (Maoist), said that the three districts should be placed in a separate Kochila state. Morang Chairman of Madhesi Janadhikar Forum-Loktantrik, Bhakti Majhi, said Jhapa, Morang, Sunsari, Siraha, Saptari and Udayapur should be included in a separate state to end ongoing problems.

Meanwhile, Itahari civil society leader Bodhraj Nepal said there’s no possibility of splitting the three districts. “The voices of an ‘undivided Jhapa-Morang-Sunsari’ have started to emerge strongly,” he said.