ONE KILLED Kathmandu, 3 June:.: A person died in a road accident at Chormara in Nawalparasi district, along the East-West Highway, on Monday morning, RSS reports from Kawasoti... The deceased, who was in the truck, has been identified as Suraj Harijan, 17, of Ramgram-2, according to the Area Police Office, Nawalparasi. The accident took place when the truck (Na 2 Kha 1645) heading towards east from Parasi carrying paddy overturned, and trapped him A person died in a road accident at Chormara in Nawalparasi district, along the East-West Highway, on Monday morning. The deceased, who was in the truck, has been identified as Suraj Harijan, 17, of Ramgram-2, according to the Area Police Office, Nawalparasi. The accident took place when the truck (Na 2 Kha 1645) heading towards east from Parasi carrying paddy overturned, and trapped him Nnnn INTERVIEW ONE KILLED Kathmandu, 3 June:.: A person died in a road accident at Chormara in Nawalparasi district, along the East-West Highway, on Monday morning, RSS reports from Kawasoti... The deceased, who was in the truck, has been identified as Suraj Harijan, 17, of Ramgram-2, according to the Area Police Office, Nawalparasi. The accident took place when the truck (Na 2 Kha 1645) heading towards east from Parasi carrying paddy overturned, and trapped him A person died in a road accident at Chormara in Nawalparasi district, along the East-West Highway, on Monday morning. The deceased, who was in the truck, has been identified as Suraj Harijan, 17, of Ramgram-2, according to the Area Police Office, Nawalparasi. The accident took place when the truck (Na 2 Kha 1645) heading towards east from Parasi carrying paddy overturned, and trapped him Nnnn INTERVIEW WITHOUT ELECTION NO DEMOCRACY SAYS UPENDRA YADAV ONE KILLED Kathmandu, 3 June:.: A person died in a road accident at Chormara in Nawalparasi district, along the East-West Highway, on Monday morning, RSS reports from Kawasoti... The deceased, who was in the truck, has been identified as Suraj Harijan, 17, of Ramgram-2, according to the Area Police Office, Nawalparasi. The accident took place when the truck (Na 2 Kha 1645) heading towards east from Parasi carrying paddy overturned, and trapped him A person died in a road accident at Chormara in Nawalparasi district, along the East-West Highway, on Monday morning. The deceased, who was in the truck, has been identified as Suraj Harijan, 17, of Ramgram-2, according to the Area Police Office, Nawalparasi. The accident took place when the truck (Na 2 Kha 1645) heading towards east from Parasi carrying paddy overturned, and trapped him Nnnn INTERVIEW WITHOUT ELECTION NO DEMOCRACY SAYS UPENDRA YADAV The Upendra Yadav -led Madhesi Janaadhikar Forum played a key role in the Madhes Movement of 2007 and the development of Madhesi nationalism. The Forum went on to emerge as the fourth largest party in the Constituent Assembly (CA). Seen as a progressive figure in Madhesi politics, Yadav subsequently became Foreign Minister in Pushpa Kamal Dahal’s government. However, the party has since split multiple times and is now opposed to the technocratic government of Khil Raj Regmi and fresh CA elections. Yadav spoke to the Post’s Pranab Kharel and Kamal Dev Bhattarai about the prospects of elections, the possibility of an electoral alliance and the current state of Madhesi politics. What is your take on rumours of Madhesi parties forming a single political party or an electoral alliance? There cannot be a single political party of Madhesis nor Pahadis or Himalis. Similar facial features cannot be grounds for a party. It is only when ideas, political concepts, goals and a leadership character is agreed upon that a political party is formed. Opportunist traits for ministerial births and money have split parties. They were bought and sold in parliament and are not in a position to go back to the people. So in order to preserve whatever little shame they have left, they talk of broader Madhesi unity. They fear losing their seat to someone else in elections so they are spreading this baseless rumour about a single political party. We are a part of the Federal Republican Morcha , which is a united alliance of disadvantaged people from the Madhes, Himal and Pahad and includes Janajatis, Madhesis and those supporting federalism, identity, autonomy, secularism and social justice. And then there’s the Madhesi Morcha, which was behind the dissolution of the CA. It is because of them that the Madhesi leaders were tainted as they crossed the limits of corruption. We even got to hear of post-paid and pre-paid corruption. Why do they need a new morcha when they already have one? They can contest elections through it. However, alliances of a different kind are possible. Whatever the alliance, it should be able to provide the nation with a constitution, strengthen federal republicanism and institutionalise it. It should be an alliance of progressive thinkers and revolutionary forces. The High Level Political Committee (HLPC) has offered to induct you into it. Will you be a member of the HLPC? The HLPC is a High Level Political Conspiracy. I do not see its relevance. It should be disbanded and another committee based on broader political consensus should be formed. There is no way we will be a part of this syndicate. It has to be broken. Mahanta Thakur invited all the Madhesi parties for a tea party to discuss the formation of an alliance. Why were you not present? An alliance cannot be formed out of a tea party. The need and possibility of forming an alliance should be assessed by holding intellectual discussions. Why do we need a morcha? Is it to contest elections that are not even certain? The groundwork for elections has not yet been completed. Both the procedural and political aspects of elections must be completed to hold elections. The voter list has not yet been compiled, distribution of citizenship has not been completed, constituencies have yet to be delineated on the basis of population and the distribution of voter ids is not over. The ratio of proportional representation and first-past-the-post has not been finalised either. We need broad political consensus to hold CA elections. The CA has already been dissolved once and we are in the process of going for another without preparing the political ground for it. Are you saying that elections will not be held? No, elections should be held. But I do not see how elections can be held in the current political status quo. And if elections are held just to satisfy the arrogance of two or three political parties, it will only push the country into further chaos. Though the last CA extended its tenure from two to four years, it failed to even write four lines of the constitution. The old CA kept political differences and conflicts intact and could not decide on the nature of the constitution. It was used to gain powerful offices in government, oust the government and form a new government. If we go to elections again, all political parties will still hold different positions. History will repeat itself and no solution will be reached. What value does a new CA have if all the old tendencies continue? What are your minimum conditions to go for elections? We don’t have conditions. A concrete basis for elections should be prepared. We need to be clear about the reasons for holding elections. So we have come up with a 13 point political proposal discussing the basis for elections and the writing of the constitution. Let others come up with their own proposals. We are ready to discuss them. There needs to be certainty that the constitution will be written, prior to holding elections. This certainty should be established through political consensus. We must ensure that all parties are involved. The nature of the executive and the basic foundations of the constitution have to be agreed upon before elections. Currently, we are in a mess. There is a popular idiom in Terai: “The fish is still in water but nine pieces have already been distributed”. The political parties are currently doing the same. The ones rushing to form alliances are worried about others eating their share of the fish. Who will ensure that the constitution will be written this time? If the constitution is not written, will the country be able to go for CA elections for the third time? We do not want to be part of a meaningless election. Gyanendra held elections too but we all know its outcome. Without ensuring the representation of marginalised communities through the proportional system, the elections will merely indulge in power play and the constitution will not be written. If this happens, political actors should be ready to take responsibility for the disaster that is sure to follow. On a different note, to what extent have issues related to citizenship and inclusion in state machineries been addressed? During the Madhes movement, 22 and eight point agreements were signed with the state. Some points in the agreements were implemented but the main demands—like an autonomous Madhesi state, ensuring the representation and participation of Madhesis in government on the basis of population, ensuring access to and control over resources and recognition of their identity—have yet to be met. The anti-Madhes and anti-inclusion mentality in the ruling class is to be blamed. The rulers sign agreements with the population only when they are in trouble but do not implement it. The Madhesi Janadhikar Forum was the primary force that led the Madhes Movement. However, after the movement, new people joined the party and split it. The parties that split have diluted most issues. In the name of the SLMM, the Sadbhavana party and Bijay Gachhadar’s party diluted Madhesi issues by using them as a bargaining chip to join the government. And the ruling class too gave them lucrative ministries knowing that these issues would remain on the backburner. It was the alliance of corrupt and opportunist Madhesi parties and the ruling parties that destroyed the CA. They proclaim that the issues of the Madhes, have been addressed and that they won. But the three-party syndicate and their Madhesi Morcha allies need not take pride in it. People can’t be fooled all the time. By diluting the main issues, they let the country be ruled by bureaucrats. Democracy and bureaucracy are the opposites of each other. In a democracy, representatives of the people hold posts from the lowest to the highest offices. Without elected representatives, Nepal is not a democracy. The Madhes has developed as an important electoral constituency and according to the census, more than 50 percent of the population lives in the Madhes. How do you see Madhesi politics in this context? Despite more than 51 percent of the population residing in the Madhes, the presence of Madhesis in government is minimal. The Madhes is seeking an equal share in terms of its population. The Madhes after the 2007 movement is a conscious Madhes. It knows what its rights are. Therefore, the political role of the Madhes will be very important. No political process can move forward without accounting for its powers. The Madhes is a fertile land and this has been a major attraction for all since the time of Prithvi Narayan Shah, Jung Bahadur and Mahendra. It holds political potential so it is natural for parties to be attracted to it. The Madhes supports federalism, republicanism, inclusion and secularism. It will play an important role in the formation of a democratic constitution and a democratic form of governance. nnnn