Madhesi Gathering, New Jersey

I am glad we were able to meet, but I would not have showed up if it were not for this press release by ANTA: Prabasi Madhesi Are With The Madhesi Movement In Nepal.

The gathering lasted for hours, for half a day, and thanks hosts Ritesh Chaudhary and Bindu Chaudhary and family. Lunch was provided. I was glad to meet my sister Babita who was there with her husband. Life in the city can get fast paced.

There were numerous topics concerned. And this blog entry is not the official documentation.

ANTA achievements to date were summarized. The organization achieved non profit status. Elections have been held.

There was an elaborate discussion on the new Wall Street To Nepal project. I resisted efforts to bureaucratize the whole thing. The project was first talked about as something independent. I was the one to bring ANTA into the project. This is more like a partnership. The synergy is creative, and not top down. ANTA will have to make do with the promised total transparency.

As usual I was more focused on the political aspects. ANTA has had a tendency to abstain from political efforts. But the Madhesi Movement is a human rights issue. There is no escaping from this movement.

The Madhesi Movement has to get around to this common minimum program:

1. All Madhesis have to be issued citizenship papers.
   
2. The 205 constituencies have to be marked based on equal population.
   

If these demands are not met, we will not allow the holding of the constituent assembly elections. There will be a Terai Band for a week during the elections.

The Prabasi Madhesi are not leading the Madhesi in Nepal. It is the other way round. The Prabasi Madhesi are not inspiring the Madhesi in Nepal. It is the other way round. There are many political groups, including two violent ones, members of many political parties, several NGOs, numerous caste based organizations and so on that are getting behind the Madhesi Movement. There is a stark need for coordination though.

We need to establish a Madhesi Movement Coordination Committee that will be an umbrella organization to all groups and organizations that will gather around this common minimum program and will be wed to non-violent ways of protest.

We do not want a separate country. And we do not want violence. But we are not going to buzz from the two basic demands.

The gender segregation at the gathering was uncomfortable. It did not feel awfully progressive. I was in a roomful of sexist Desis.

We developed action plans to help with the common minimum program. We are going to use meetings and online tools to make and measure progress.

There was interesting talk of launching a Terai news portal, but it was decided that will have to be done as a business project by someone. Much interest was expressed.

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