MOHAN BAIDHAYA FACTION I UCPN MAOIST LAUNCHING STUDENT FRONT Kathmandu, 30 April: Mohan Baidhaya faction of the ruling UCPN (Maoist) has convened a two-day meet of students to lform a student front of the rebel group. The students meet at TU in Kirtipur. The move indicted a deep personal and ideological split in the largest party which is also communist party at a time when a constitution has tobe approved by two-hird majority in parliament. A divisin could split the vote in parliament and complicate constitution promulgation. Yet another group is splitting in the party leading the government. nnnn DEMONSTRATIONS NATION-WIDE AHEAD AS D-DAY APPROACHES TO ANNOUNCE CONSTITUTION Kathmandu, 30 April: Daily life in the Far-Western districts remained affected for the third consecutive day on Sunday due to the banda enforced by different political parties, student bodies and organisations demanding for ‘undivided’ Far Western Region, Chitranga Thapa and Mohan Budhair write in The Kathmandu Post from Kanchanpur and Kailali. Although the banda was enforced in Kanchanpur and Kailali, the other seven hill districts in the region also bore the brunt, mainly caused by the idled transport service. Many people travelling within and outside the Far West districts were stranded. Meanwhile, education institutions, marketplace, banks and government offices in Kanchanpur and Kailali remained closed. The grade 12 exam that started on Sunday, however, took place without any obstruction. The banda supporters, comprising of political activists from various parties excluding the UCPN (Maoist), students and local business community, were seen on the main thoroughfares and market area from early Sunday morning to make the banda a success. They also staged protest rallies against the Maoists proposal of separating the Far Western districts into different states while federating the country. An organisation struggling for a discrimination-free progressive society and two others representing the Chhetris and Thakuris in Kanchanpur, meanwhile, submitted a memorandum to the Prime Minister through the District Administration Office asking to keep the national indivisibility and ethnic harmony intact while federating the country. Meanwhile, the banda-organisers on Sunday evening agreed to withdraw their protests following request from the civil society. They have agreed to shelve their struggle for the time being and sit for talks with representatives of Tharu communities to come up with a common agenda. Demonstration against caste-based federation KAVRE: In a bid to discourage caste-based sate restructuring, communities representing 10 castes, including the Chhetris, Brahamins, Giris, Puris, Bharatis and the Dalits, have announced a joint struggle in Kavre. As part of their phase-wise agitation, the joint-struggle committee submitted a memorandum to Chief District Officer Rudranath Basyal on Sunday. The committee has said it would not accept caste-based federalism at any cost. Rally for Tamuwan state KASKI: Demanding that the Gandak region should be declared a Tamuwan autonomous state, people representing various janajati groups staged a large rally in Pokhara on Sunday. The rally participants, gathered from different parts of the country to attend the assembly of janajatis, called for federalism with ethnic identity and to ensure right to self-determination for the janajati groups in the proposed Tamuwan state. Leaders belonging to various janajati caste groups representing the political parties, including the UCPN (Maoist), CPN-UML and the Nepali Congress, were invited to address the assembly. A different rally was also staged by the people from non-janajati communities demanding that caste-based federalism should not be established. They also submitted a memorandum to the local administration warning that caste-based federalism could invite ethnic conflict and disintegrate the country. Mithila state sought JANAKPUR: Objecting the Maoists-proposed state restructuring model sans Mithila state, the residents of Janakpur continued to protest for the third day on Sunday. The Mitihila State Struggling Committee obstructed the traffic movement for three hours at Pidari Chowk in Janakpur pressing for a separate Mithila state. The committee has warned to step up the protest if its demand was not addressed. Nnnn ETHNIC FRONTS MONT PRESSURE FOR FEDERATION 0 Kathmandu, 30 April:- As major parties--UCPN (Maoist), Nepali Congress, CPN-UML and Samyukta Loktantrik Madhesi Morcha--continue to haggle over the contentious issues of constitution writing, including federalism, lawmakers from these very parties are forming various ethnic fronts to pile pressure on their leadership to promulgate a timely constitution that addresses the concerns of marginalised communities, Pranab Kharel writes in The Kathmandu Post.. Various cross-party fronts and alliances--Comprehensive Madhesi Front, National Muslim Struggle Committee, Samyukta Loktantrik Tharu Morcha and ethnic caucus in the parliament--have sprung up recently. The lawmakers, representing marginalised communities such as Muslims and Tharus, say they want to ensure that the rights of the constituencies they represent are enshrined or at least represented in the new constitution. They seem to be wary of the leadership, fearing that the delay in the constitution writing may lead to a compromise on issues of their constituencies or may even derail the entire process of constitution writing. “We hear that parties may also bring in a constitution that does not ensure issues of identity” said Nepali Congress lawmaker Mohammadi Siddiqui, also associated with the National Muslim Struggle Committee, a cross-party front of Muslim lawmakers. He added that the lawmakers fear that the party leadership is at times not serious about addressing the concerns of the marginalised groups. “We have handed over several memorandums to the party leadership. And they also ensure us of their implementation. However, the assurances could also be mere lip services”. Echoing Siddiqui, Tarai Madhes Loktantrik Party-Nepal leader Govinda Chaudary, who is also associated with the Samyuka Loktantrik Tharu Morcha, said lawmakers will have problems in facing constituencies if the constitution is not delivered within the stipulated deadline of May 27. “The changes of 2006 have generated a lot of hope among the masses. These changes need to be institutionalised through the new constitution. Hence these alliances are coming up as forms of pressure,” he said. Madhesi Janadhikar Forum-Nepal Chairman Upendra Yadav, who is associated with the Comprehensive Madhesi Front, said that since lawmakers don't have confidence in their leadership when it comes to issues of marginalised groups, the result is the formation of the various alliances. The 217-member ethnic caucus in the parliament has piled pressure on their leaders to address issues of the indigenous nationalities. The caucus intensified its campaign during the Hattiban Resort negotiations among the parties. They are demanding that the parties adopt a report prepared by the State Restructuring Committee of the Constituent Assembly, which recommends federating the country into 14 units on the basis of identity and capability. nnnn