Nepal's Madhes-based parties and ethnic groups today jointly agreed to launch fresh month-long protests in the volatile Terai region beginning tomorrow to press for more rights and representation in the newly promulgated Constitution.
On the first day of their protests, a condolence meeting will be organised here in memory of those killed during the three month-long agitation in southern Nepal which totals to more than 40.
As per the programme, protest rallies and public meetings will be organised in different parts of the country including Sunsari, Morang, Dhanusha, Sarlahi, Bara, Makanwanpur, Rupendehi and Kailali.
A meeting of nine political parties including Federal Socialist Forum Nepal, Terai Madhes Democratic Party, Sadbhawana Party, Tharuhat Terai Party and Federal Limbuwan Party Nepal held here today which decided the programme.
Meanwhile, Defence Minister Bhim Rawal has said that attacking on ambulance, injuring sick persons going for treatment and burning trucks carrying medicines cannot be called democratic exercise or peaceful protests.
He was hinting towards the incidents of Friday and yesterday when an ambulance was attacked, a sick child and a patient with oxygen cylinder was injured by agitators and setting ablaze a truck carrying medicines during protests in southern Nepal.
Rawal said the government is engaged in diplomatic efforts towards lifting the "undeclared blockade" imposed by India in southern border of Nepal.
He said the opening of Nepal's trading point with Tibet in the north cannot be termed as anti-India move as the Nepal government is trying to establish balanced relations with both the neighbours based on the principle of Panchasheel.
Nepal has accused India of siding with the protesters and meddling in its internal affairs, a charge New Delhi denies.
Madhesis, Indian-origin inhabitants of Nepal's Terai region, are protesting against division of their ancestral homeland into seven provinces in the new Constitution.
The major political parties had amended some provisions
of the Constitution to address the demands of the agitating United Democratic Madhesi Front, which rejected the move of the parties.
After organising the protests in Terai, the United Democratic Madhesi Front (UDMF) made a broader alliance with other ethnic political parties to form the Federal Alliance and announced the nation-wide protest programmes.
The programmes include handing over a memorandum on their demands to the government via District Administration Offices, erecting black flags at government office premises, carrying out public demonstrations including rallies and mass meetings in district headquarters and mass assemblies in major cities and towns of the nation, among others.
"It is necessary to inform people from the hills on how and why the constitution has discriminated against the marginalized people. The UDMF has not only been raising the issues of Madhes but also the common issues of marginalised people whether they are from the hills or the mountains," said Upendra Yadav, the chairman of the Federal Socialist Forum Nepal.
The Alliance argued that the Constitution should be rewritten to strengthen independence, nationality and national integrity; and to constitutionally manage non-discriminatory, secular and identity-based proportional inclusive federal democratic republic.
The members have also decided to raise issues of public interest including growing inflation, shortage of petroleum products and load shedding among others during their protest.
In a statement issued today, the Alliance said the protests are intended to rewrite the Constitution so that the concept of secularism, identity-based proportional inclusive representation and federal democratic republic status to Nepal could be constitutionally ensured.
"For this, we are determined to hold a national-level agitation through unity and empowerment among Madhesis and Adivasi/Janajati forces," the statement read. "The agitation is also bent on implementation of our 26-point joint demand and other pacts and agreements held with the government in the past.
