By Sudeshna Sarkar, IANS
Kathmandu : Nepal’s volatile Terai plains, where simmering violence last year prevented the crucial election, are on the boil again ahead of the April polls with two powerful ethnic groups launching protest movements from Sunday in a bid to pressure the government into conceding their demands.
The Madhesi Janadhikar Forum, the new growing power in the plains that is posing a stiff challenge to the Maoists as well as the ruling parties and forced the government to amend the constitution and pledge a federal state, began protest rallies in the plains from Sunday.
In the past, the Forum’s protests had blocked highways, cut off the flow of supplies from India and dealt a massive blow to the floundering economy.
This time, the Forum has been strengthened by a new ally, a splinter Terai party led by a disgruntled former minister.
Former minister for commerce, industry and supplies Rajendra Mahato, who walked out of the government and his Nepal Sadbhavana Party to float the Sadbhavana Party, has joined forces with the Forum to arm twist the government on the eve of the polls by initially calling a two-week long protest in the plains.
According to Mahato, the new front – the United Madhes Front – is seeking autonomy for the plains before the April 10 election, increase in the number of constituencies in the plains on the basis of population, and compensation for the families of Terai residents killed in the past protests.
Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala’s government finds itself caught between the Forum and a second Terai group.
The Terai Madhes Democratic Party was formed by another ex-minister, Mahanta Thakur, who was also one of the most senior leaders in Koirala’s Nepali Congress party.
Thakur as well as a clutch of MPs quit their parties and parliament to avowedly take up the cause of Madhes – the Terai plains.
The new party is also demanding autonomy, compensation for the families of those killed in the plains during the past protests and increase in seats from the Terai.
The dissidents say they want to take part in the April 10 election. However, to create conducive environment, the government has to concede the demands before the polls.
Though the ruling parties Saturday kicked off their poll campaign in the Terai urging plains people to take part in the election, the exercise is bound to suffer a setback if the protests continue.
Realising that, last week the government asked the Terai dissidents to begin talks.
However, Mahato, who said his party was not “Nepali Congress MPs who were bound to follow the party whip”, rejected the invitation.
Besides the two Terai parties, over a dozen armed groups are on the rampage in the plains, including several bands of former Maoists.