Almost forgotten

In the build-up to the last Constituent Assembly elections, the Madhesi parties emerged as a major political force to be reckoned with – one that had enough clout to make or break governments, besides of course, being in a position to influence the lives of the people the constituents they were representing.

In doing fantastically well in the first Constituent Assembly elections, they defied expectations, particularly considering how little was known about them until a year or two before the elections.

Their performance in that election brought to the forefront of Nepali politics, issues that were forced under the carpet for decades prior. It also vindicated the longstanding view that the people of Madhes had long overlooked by the erstwhile major political parties that had their roots—and their interests—in the hills. Madhesis believed that for too long, they had been ignored and often maligned. The Madhesi parties captured the moment beautifully by ramping up the noise, asking more rights for Madhesis, for representation for them in all organs of the state, and also aspiring for a united Madhes.

For a while in the lead up to the last elections and just after it, the “struggle” for Madhes was among the most prominent national story. There was much anger in the southern plains and the Madhesi parties capitalised on it fully. The people of Madhes (largely) associated with the movement and connected well with the leaders, buying into their promise of hope.

Five years down the road, however, as Nepal moves nervously towards another election to the Constituent Assembly, one of the big changes is that the rhetoric around Madhes seems diminished—almost muted. The Madhes movement seems to have run out of steam and the increasing fragmentation among the Madhesi parties is perhaps a reflection of as well as a reason for this happening.

In part, this is also due to the failure of the Madhesi political leaders to stamp their authority on the political process. Post-election, they had a real chance to capture the moment and to make their presence felt by living up to the expectations their constituents had of them. One could argue that they have made their presence felt, but not often in very constructive ways.

What the people of Madhes needed at this point was a cohesive movement, led by individuals willing to put aside their personal differences to forge consensus on a united election campaign dictated by a common goal. What they managed to get instead is hardly that. Today, there are more Madhesi parties than one can keep track of, and if there has been an effort to put aside differences for the good of the people, it has not really been evident. In recent weeks, there have been last-ditch efforts made forge electoral alliances so that the Madhesi vote is not split too many ways, but one fears that all of this might be too little, too late to make a real impact. 

(This appeared as a column in The Himalayan Times on the 17th of November, 2013).