Sanghiya Gathabandhan, a coalition of Madhesi and Janajati forces, has backtracked on their plans to launch a Kathmandu-centric protest.

After a two-day meeting in the Capital, the alliance instead decided to focus on a district-level awareness campaign till mid-May and plan for a full-fledged protest after that. The alliance is expected to announce new programmes of protest on Thursday.  

Cross-party leaders said that the planned protest was postponed after some leaders in the alliance, including Tarai Madhes Loktantrik Party Chairman Mahantha Thakur and Sadbhawana Party Chairman Rajendra Mahato, expressed doubts over the success of the Capital-centric protest. They are also hoping to reach to some political settlement with the major parties through dialogue. 

“We received maximum public support in Madhes because it was our constituency. Launching a protest in the Capital is not as easy as some leaders think. Why would people in Kathmandu support our movement when they have nothing to do with our agendas,” said a Sadbhawana leader. TMLP and Sadbhawana leaders are also critical of the newly-formed alliance with Janajati forces. They take the alliance as a brainchild of Sanghiya Samajwadi Forum Nepal Chairman Upendra Yadav. 

Opponents of the alliance argue that the alliance with Janajati groups cannot be effective as the latter do not even bothered to condemn the killing of Madhesi protesters during the Madhes movement.

Moreover, some Janajati groups like Tharu, Magar and Limbu have been making contradictory demands on state demarcation. Some Madhesi leaders think that such contradictory demands would create difficulties in negotiation with the government.   

Madhesi leaders to meet int’l community 

Top leaders of Madhes-based parties are scheduled to meet representatives of international community in the Capital at 3pm on Thursday. The Madhesi leaders said they would discuss on human rights violation and other political issues during the meeting.