Editorial
Unclear roadmap
Oli’s intransigence means onus lies on NC to offer long-term solution to Madhes standoffA semblance of calm has returned to the Madhes. The blockade is over, the protestors have gone home, and people have returned to their normal lives and jobs. But the calm can be deceptive. Anyone who visits the Tarai is able to sense that there is a degree of anger towards the state. Many feel that the issues raised by the Madhes movement have not yet been resolved.
The government meanwhile has taken no tangible steps to resolve the issue yet. Prime Minister KP Oli seems to have little appetite for a negotiated solution with the Madhesi parties. And Madhesi parties continue to stay away from the political mechanism, which was formed to resolve the issue of state boundaries. Their meaningful participation will be important, for without it, it is difficult to see how the mechanism could lead to a revision of state boundaries that could be broadly acceptable.
Oli’s recent visit to India has only given new grounds for scepticism. Although he was received warmly and a great show was put on in bringing Nepal-India ties back to normalcy, there were problems below the surface. Oli continued to keep away from making any commitment to resolve the problem in the Madhes in the long-term. While he steadfastly wanted India to support the constitution, Delhi sought a level of commitment before giving its unambiguous support to it. This was the primary reason why the two sides failed to come up with a joint statement at the end of his visit, a clear departure from previous high-level visits between India and Nepal.
Oli’s intransigence is a mistake. For, his refusal to seek a satisfactory accommodation with the Madhes will almost have major ramifications in the future. It will only be a matter of time before resentments in the Tarai spill over on the streets once again. For example, under the current climate, it will be very difficult to hold local elections in the Tarai. By now it is clear that the ruling CPN-UML seems especially keen on ignoring this aspect of the Madhes dynamic.
It is thus the responsibility of the other major parties to play a proactive role in pressuring the government to tackle the Madhes issue. Unfortunately, the UCPN (Maoist), the other large party in government, does not seem ready to play such a role at the moment. This leaves the Nepali Congress (NC).
With its general convention coming up, the NC has to elect new leaders. And it is in the interest of those competing to reach out to the Tarai districts, so as to get the votes of their party members living there. So far, however, neither Ram Chandra Poudel nor Sher Bahadur Deuba nor Krishna Sitaula—the prospective heads of the NC—have issued a clear roadmap on dealing with the plains.
We hope that they will come up with a policy document on the issue soon, and take steps to gain allies on their proposal and pressure the government into accepting it.