Elections In November

1. Declare federal republic now.
   
2. Go for interim federalism.
   
3. Bring forth new interim constitution, new interim government, new interim cabinet. 40% seven parties, 25% Madhesi Alliance, 25% Janajati Alliance, 10% Dalit Alliance, 1/3 women in each category. Upendra Yadav interim president, Om Gurung, interim vice president.
   
4. Conduct a census.
   
5. Issue citizenship papers to 60 lakh not 30 lakh.
   
6. Make the Maoists abide by the letter and spirit of the peace agreements. If not, give them the cold shoulder. Enough appeasing. They are going to become a political party, or they are going to leave the country.
   
7. Pass a law saying all political parties must make their book keeping public. Now.
   

Plan B

1. Home Minister resign.
   
2. Form a probe commission to look into the state terror visited upon the Madhesi Movement.
   
3. Go for proportional elections for the constituent assembly.
   
4. Hold comprehensive talks with the Madhesi Janajati Movement. Bring all Madhesi factions to the table including the armed ones. Mainstream the three armed factions like the Maoists have been mainstreamed.
   
5. Televise the talks. Live broadcast.
   

In The News

Delay in formation of interim govt due to PM: Nepal Kantipur Nepal also stated that the Constituent Assembly (CA) elections should not be postponed at any cost
CPN-M apologizes for inappropriate conduct in parliament
Armed Madhesi Tigers abducts 11 from Saptari
UML MPs call on Speaker; discuss Maoist MP’s “armed” challenge
Father of missing Maoist recruit demands whereabouts of his ward
Strikes continue to cripple life in Terai The Madhes bandha(total shutdown) called by the Laxman Lal Karna-led Nepal Sadbhavana Party, expressing solidarity with the Madhesis’ and the Indegenous nationalities’ movement, has paralyzed normal life in Terai. ..... demanding re-distribution of electoral constituencies based on population and a population census before the Constituent Assembly (CA) elections ....... Jhapa, Morang, Sunsari, Saptari, Siraha, Bara, Parsa, Rautahat, and Makwanpur ..... The inflow and outflow of daily commodities via the Sunsari customs office, Koshi barrage, Bhantabari and Devangunj customs check posts remained nil after the MPRF cadres locked up the offices. ..... MPRF, Morang, has said that vehicles carrying school children would be allowed to run on the streets. ...... Nawalparasi too has been hard hit by the strike ...... strike has brought traffic on the Araniko Highway to a halt.
PM, Indian envoy; Speaker, US envoy discuss Maoists’ inclusion in new govt
NOC operates with profit after four years
Terai leaders want end to ongoing protests
CIAA grills Kamal Thapa
Govt-Maoist discuss interim govt, CA polls
अन्तरिम सरकार गठनको गृहकार्य
बन्दले जनजीवन प्रभावित
बन्दमा बिहे, दोहोरी र फुटबल
बन्दमा किसान
चु“डिएको कूटनीतिक चंगा
उत्तर र दक्षिणको दबाबमा मधेस
भयभीत होली
मधेसी व्रि्रोह ः चुनौती र अवसर

JTMM (Singh) Accepts Government's Offer of Talks Nepal human Rights News, Nepal The party's central working committee recently accepted the government's offer of talks for resolving the Terai issues, apart from declaring ceasefire and pursuing peaceful agitations. ..... It has warned of taking physical action against those involved in looting and extortion in the name of JTMM...... JTMM has issued a public notice against individuals misusing the group's name for extorting, terrorizing and threatening the general public.
Complexity in Nepali Politics United We Blog, Nepal almost 70% of the respondents pointed out that the foremost challenge before the government is to maintain law and order situation. ..... frequent and increasingly violent indefinite strikes, shortages and unavailability of essential food items, rocketing price rise with shrinking job opportunities, growing insecurity ..... it appears that the government is not even present in the capital or in the district headquarters. ..... the SPA government stood as a silent spectator even when the Maoists violated every single article of peace accord citing lame excuse of ‘fragile peace process’ and ‘still looming threat of reactionary and regressive forces’ ...... Passive posture of the government to take any concrete stand on any issue has cost the nation dear. Continuous and intentional violations of peace deal and meekness of the government to take any corrective measure created a vicious cycle of state-of-flux and lawlessness. ....... After massive Terai uprising, at economic cost of about Rs. 96 billions and loss of human lives, the government and all political parties in the Interim Parliament, including the Maoists, acceded to the concept of federalism; however, model, modality, relationship (between the central and federal governments) and administrative structure are still unknown. ...... Other political parties are said to be ‘working’ on the model of federalism. ..... it appears that the government may not be in position to hold the Constituent Assembly elections
NEPAL: Maoists and Madhesi activists clash in Terai Reuters AlertNet, UK
Terai leaders want end to ongoing protests Kantipur Online, Nepal Koirala made his second address to the nation pledging a federal form of government and 49 percent seats in parliament to the 20 terai districts.

Rajendra Mahato, General Secretary of Nepal Sadbhawana Party (Anandi Devi)

The prime minister's address has paved the way for Madhesis' rightful participation in the constituent assembly (CA) elections. Only the CA can address the other issues raised by various groups.

Since the prime minister's address has pledged a federal model and representation for the terai region in the CA in proportion to population, besides a proportional share in all state organs, it is meaningless to continue with the protests. Once the amendment is passed by parliament there will be no legitimate ground for protests in Madhes. The amendment process should not be postponed on the pretext of addressing all issues in a package after talks with the Janajatis.

The terai has already suffered a lot and the poor should not be made to suffer any further.

Continuity of the movement in the terai will derail the constituent assembly polls. Madhes should not become a cause for derailment of elections that will give the people the power after 237 years of suppression.

Bimalendra Nidhi, General Secretary, Nepali Congress (Democratic)

The state's promise to go for a federal structure has addressed the issues of not only Madhesis but also all those who were demanding a federation of autonomous states. Those who are engaged in the current protests should take this fact seriously. Continuation of the protests in the terai has already posed a serious challenge to implementing the commitments made by the prime minister as it has disturbed the constitutional amendment process. Demand for the resignation of the home minister or any other minister for that matter is not a demand of the Madhesi people. It's a non-issue; therefore, calls for the home minister's scalp are unjustified. The Madhesi People's Rights Forum should immediately end its protest programs and sit for dialogue.

Dr. Ram Baran Yadav, Assistant General Secretary, Nepali Congress

The prime minister's second address to the nation has resolved 99 percent of the problems faced by the terai region. The Constitutional Amendment Bill, which we are going to discuss in parliament from Thursday, will institutionalize the prime minister's commitment.

The demand for a full proportional representation system of elections is rigid and unjustified. People also want to vote for candidates of their individual choice along with the preferred party. Proportional representation based on ethnicity is almost impossible in a heterogeneous society like ours. The terai alone has more than 25 castes. Madhes is a community, not a caste. Similarly, the demand for the home minister's resignation is unjustified. Sitaula's contribution to the peace process cannot be forgotte just because of some errors on his part.

Dr Bansidhar Misra, CPN-UML lawmaker and leader of Loktantrik Terai Front

The home minister's resignation will facilitate a dialogue with the Madhesi People's Rights Forum. I am confident that MPRF will sit for talks once Sitaula quits. Formation of a probe commission is also essential to calm the Madhesi people's anger against the government.

We (Madhesi lawmakers) are holding a meeting tomorrow to take immediate initiative for addressing the problem. We will suggest to our leaders to step up pressure on the prime minister to create an atmosphere for talks with terai groups and to form a probe commission.

The Maoists in recent weeks seemed indifferent towards the terai's problems and are fueling the confrontations. There are also attempts to give the Madhesi movement a communal color.