Miscellaneous
PM to split Province 5 to woo Madhesi forces
In his latest bid to end the row over federal boundaries, Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal is planning to split Province 5 and put the idea on the table to see what the agitating Madhes-based parties think.In his latest bid to end the row over federal boundaries, Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal is planning to split Province 5 and put the idea on the table to see what the agitating Madhes-based parties think.
The main opposition CPN-UML has already objected to the idea.
PM Dahal’s close aides said the proposal will address concerns of both Madhesi and Tharu communities. The Madhes-based parties have been demanding another province along the plains, besides Province 2, without Hill districts. Tharus have been making a pitch for a Tharuhat province.
According to sources, PM Dahal is set to discuss the idea with Madhesi leaders at an “official meeting” between him and Madhesi leaders at Baluwatar on Wednesday.
The government, which is planning to register a constitution amendment proposal in Parliament later this week, hopes to give final shape to the draft after consultation with the Madhesi parties.
“The prime minister has proposed to integrate Hill districts of Province 5 into Province 4 and Province 6. He prepared the proposal after consultation with some senior Madhesi leaders,” said a Maoist leader close to Dahal.
PM Dahal’s calculation is Nawalparasi, Rupandehi, Kaplivastu, Dang, Banke and Bardiya as Province 5 could largely address the agitating parties’ concerns. Province 5 currently has 13 districts. Seven of them are Hill districts and PM Dahal’s proposal calls for merging them with Province 4 and Province 6.
PM Dahal’s proposal is, according to sources, making Nawalaparasi to Bardiya Province 5 and putting other Hill districts from it in Province 4 and Province 6. The proposal looks like what the UML too had agreed upon earlier.
Two years ago, the NC and the UML had presented a “common proposal” as per which half of Nawalparasi, Palpa, Gulmi, Arghakhanchi and Baglung were in what they called Gandaki Province (now Province 4) and Pyuthan, Rolpa and Rukum were in Karnali Province (now Province 6). The same proposal had half of Nawalparasi, Rupandehi, Kaplivastu, Dang, Banke and Bardiya in what they called Lumbini Province (now Province 5).
Tarai Madhes Sadbhawana Party Chairman Mahanta Thakur though said some senior Cabinet ministers had hinted at what PM Dahal has been planning, he will make a comment only after he gets to see the proposal.
“Initially, they were saying that there will be some changes in boundaries of Provinces 4, 5 and 6. Now, they are saying only Province 5 will be divided. There still is some confusion,” said Thakur. “We have been informed that the proposal will address our concerns over four contentious issues—federal boundaries, representation in the Upper House, citizenship and working language of provinces,” said Thakur.
Some senior Madhesi leaders including Sanghiya Samajbadi Forum Nepal Chairman Upendra Yadav, however, have threatened to disown the constitution amendment bill “if it fails to address all the demands of the agitating parties in its entirety”, including the one related to revision of the federal boundaries.
Yadav has been insisting that the maps of the five “disputed” districts—Jhapa, Morang, Sunsari, Kailali and Kanchanpur—should also be redrawn. “We will not accept the constitution until our 26-point demand is addressed,” said Yadav. “The government must act as per the commitment the Maoist Centre and the Congress made in the three-point agreement signed before the formation of this government.”
Sadbhawana Party Co Chairman Laxman Lal Karna said his party would comment after seeing the proposal.