Tuesday, September 04, 2007

The MJF Must Stay Intact

The MJF must stay intact as one party. The MJF leaders owe it to all their party members, now more than 100,000 strong. The MJF owes it to the Madhesi people. The MJF owes it to the almost 40 martyrs and over 800 injured of the Madhesi Kranti who gave birth to the political party called MJF to continue as one party.

Breaking the party is not an option. And it is highly unnecessary.

The deal reached with the government gained official respect for the Madhesi Kranti. And it left room for the MJF to keep pressing for completely proportional elections to the constituent assembly.

The shape and form of federalism can not be decided now. That is what the constituent assembly is for. Poudel Bahun does not have and should not have the powers to decide on the shape and form of a Terai state right now. That power rests with the Madhesi people who will exercise that power at the ballot box. That is the only legitimate way.

I am for completely proportional elections to the constituent assembly. And the best way to get that would be for the UML and the Maoists to exploit the arithmetic of the interim parliament to get it. But the Maoists have not made any open attempts to seek such an agreement with the UML. Instead it has beat up UML workers in various parts of the country. The way to achieve completely proportional elections to the constituent assembly would have been to build a relationship with the UML. But that the Maoists did not go for that option shows they are not honest when they say they are for completely proportional elections to the constituent assembly.

I am for completely proportional elections to the constituent assembly but that is not the central agenda of the Madhesi Movement.

Disrupting the November 22 polls is not in the interests of the Madhesi Movement. The first choice would have been to seek and get completely proportional elections for November 22. When that might not be possible, the second best choice is to contest the polls based on the existing mixed arrangement. Then the focus shifts to sweeping the polls. It can be done. Organizing street agitation to force the government to give completely proportional elections to the constituent assembly makes little sense. If you can perform a repeat of the Madhesi Kranti to that end, is it not more fruitful to instead get those people to vote for you? That would be more meaningful.

All the MJF demands the government did not agree to, turn them into election issues. Go to the people. In a democracy power rests with the people.

I understand many Madhesi leaders and cadres are radicalized. And they are impatient. It is good that the Madhesi people are finally awake. But we have to properly channel that new awakening into ballot power, into electoral power.

Right now I urge all Madhesi leaders, MPs, parties, organizations and armed groups to get behind this: The Madhesi MPs And The Idea Of A New Party. Sweep the election. No more strikes and street agitations. No more Terai Band. Unilateral ceasefire by the armed groups. Full scale election campaign. Ek Madhesh, Ek Pradesh.


The MJF Dispute: Got To Seek Middle Ground
No To Terrorism: Terai Army Is A Criminal Outfit
उपेन्द्र यादव: सरकार र फोरमबीच सम्झौता
The Madhesi MPs And The Idea Of A New Party
तराई बन्द नहीं संगठन िवस्तार किरए
जयप्रकाश गुप्ता: मधेस आन्दोलनका आग्रह
An Open Letter To NAC
Goal Has To Be To Stay As One Country
Not UML-Maoist Unification Or Unity, But A One Point Agreement On PR Election
Baburam Bhattarai Is Right About UML-Maoist Unity
एक मात्र िमलनिवन्दु: पुर्ण समानुपाितक िनर्वाचन

In The News

UML forms panel to select CA polls candidates Kantipur
Five Liberation of Terai Ilam cadres arrested in Janakpur Police Tuesday arrested five Liberation of Terai Ilam (LTI) cadres including its leader from Janakpour in Dhanusha district. ..... Swamiji, the LTI leader of the breakaway faction of Janatantrik Terai Mukti Morcha-Goit, and other four were arrested from Jamun Goit’s house at Wakiltole in Janakpur Municipility .... Ramlochan Yadav alias Swamiji
Second stage of PLA arms and weapons verification begins in Surkhet
Prachanda asks Maoist-aligned students to be ready for ‘next revolt’
Security situation will improve as CA election comes closer: Home Minister Sitaula
We are not against CA polls: Madhesi Tigers A leader of the Madhesi Mukti Tigers (MMT), a group which has been leading an armed movement in the Terai region, Tuesday said that the group was not against the Constituent Assembly (CA) elections slated for November 22. Speaking at a programme in Saptari district today, MMT spokesperson “Pratatp” said that the group has, however, been struggling for a fully proportional electoral system in the upcoming CA to ensure the proportional representation of the Madhesi people. ..... warned that the MMT would resort to “strong retaliation” if the government tried to hold the elections based on a mixed electoral system. ...... Pratap also clarified that the MMT would lay down arms and take part in the CA elections if the government agreed for a proportional electoral system. ..... Revealing that an informal dialogue had taken place between Home Minister Krishna Prasad Sitaula and an MMT central leader sometime back, Pratap however said that the government had not responded since then. .... Pratap also said that unlike the factions of the Jantantrik Tearai Mukti Morcha (JTMM), the MMT was not in favour of a separate Terai. ..... “MMT is not trying to disintegrate the nation,” said Pratap. ..... the MMT was in favour of an autonomous Madhesh under a federal democratic republic.
चुनावमा जुट्न फोरमको आह्वान 'अब हाम्रो एकमात्र ध्यान संविधानसभा चुनाव हो ।' यादवले सोमबारै विज्ञप्ति जारी गरी निर्वाचन तयारीमा लाग्न कार्यकर्तालाई निर्देशन दिएका छन् । विज्ञप्तिमा फोरम महाधिवेशन तयारी समितिका चार सदस्य लोकतन्त्र र संविधानसभाविरुद्ध षड्यन्त्रमा लागेको आरोप छ । ...... यसैबीच भाग्यनाथ गुप्ताको संयोजकत्वमा रहेको फोरमले सोमबार वीरगन्जमा पत्रकार सम्मेलन गरी सरकारसँगको सम्झौताको विरोध गर्दै अध्यक्ष यादवलाई निलम्बन गरेको दाबी दोहोर्‍याएको छ । गुप्ताले उक्त सम्झौताको विरोध गरेलगत्तै सरकारले आफूहरूविरुद्ध सुरक्षाकर्मी परिचालन गरेको बताए । सोमबार राजधानीमा आफूहरू बसेको इम्पेरियर होटलमा सुरक्षाकर्मी आएर आफूहरूलाई एक घन्टा हाउस एरेस्टमा राखेको र राष्ट्रसंघलगायत निकायमा खबर गरेपछि मात्र छाडिएको दाबी गरे
गणतन्त्र आठै दलको मुद्दा हुनुपर्छ’
बागलुङ-जोमसोम मार्ग निर्माण सुचारु
नयाँ नेपालका लागि नयाँ कांग्रेस ख्याल गर्नुपर्ने के हो भने एकता गर्दाखेरि पार्टीको पुनसर्ंरचनाको माग छुटाउनु हुँदैन । नारामा मात्र नभई व्यवहारमा पनि समावेशी र आन्तरिक लोकतन्त्रसहितको कांग्रेस आवश्यकता हो । ...... लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्रको आवाज बुलन्द गर्ने कांग्रेसभित्र आन्तरिक लोकतन्त्र सुनिश्चित हुनुपर्छ ...... कांग्रेसबाट संघात्मक, समावेशी, लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्रप्रतिको प्रतिबद्धता संविधानसभा निर्वाचनअगावै आओस् भन्ने जनताको चाहना छ । यसलाई ढिलो नगरे निर्वाचनमा अन्य दलका लागि कांग्रेसभन्दा अग्रगामी र समयसापेक्ष एजेन्डा रहनेछैन । ....... संविधानसभाको माग कांग्रेसले ००७ सालतिरै उठाएको हो ...... ५० वर्षअघि भइसक्ने संविधानसभा निकै पछि धकेलियो
गुल्मीका सबै गाविसमा फोन

Upendra Yadav urges people to join election campaign NepalNews Snubbing the move by dissidents to remove him as chief of the Madhesi Janadhikar Forum (MJF), Upendra Yadav has appealed to the people of Madhes to prepare for the election of Constituent Assembly (CA). "Madhesi community is in favor of CA election. Nobody can confuse them," he said addressing a programme in Inaruwa of Sunsari district on Monday. Terming the recent deal between the government and MJF as a victory for Madhesi people, Yadav urged his party workers and all the people to start preparing for the election campaign. Yadav accused the dissidents as being royalists. He also urged all the agitating organisations in Terai to join the dialogue process. Following the 22 point deal, four central leaders of MJF revolted and even announced that they have removed Yadav from his position. The dissident faction led by Bhagyanath Gupta has reiterated that they have removed Yadav from MJF while talking to journalists in Birgunj on Monday.
UML believes criminal elements were behind Sunday blasts
Prachanda directs Maoist students for protests ahead of polls
Report on 9/2 bomb blasts by evening: Sitaula
Krishna Janmastami observed across the country, PM visits Krishna Mandir
Maoist deputy commanders submit 6-point memo to PM Koirala
Police make around half a dozen arrests related with Sunday's triple blasts
Do not suspend polls in the face of blasts, says UML general secy

Risks of Postponing the CA Election NepalNews none of the political parties have gone out to do voter education with their vote banks, and none of them have laid out a clear agenda about what is it that their party is laying on the line in this upcoming CA elections ........ they are afraid of having a no show with their party results after the elections .... the Nepali Congress, may be afraid that it may lose the status of being the single largest party ..... Communist Party of Nepal (Maoists) has already gained so much leverage without contesting the election that they have is a lot to lose if they go into the elections. ....... The democratic right parties are afraid that the communist left parties will get their act together and contest in a united front and hence gain a majority. ....... if the CA elections are not held in November. .... The interim government will also lose all credibility within the nation ..... No matter how the government takes into consideration the agitating Terai groups, if their demands cannot be met through the CA, it would be anybody’s guess how their activities would be directed in the future. ...... The Maoists have already intensified their movement in the road, parliament and cabinet. The vandalism by YCL in recent times is worsening the security situation ...... the parties must rise above their vested interests and hold CA election on time

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