In my earlier entry, I talked about protest in
The Terai stretches from the east to the west of the country along the Nepalese-Indian border adjoining the Indian states of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and
West Bengal . It comprises nearly 17 percent of the land and the Madhesi people make up about 30 percent of the 27 million people in. Nepal The Madhesi are predominantly Hindus with some Muslims, Buddhists and Christians.
Economically, the Terai is the most fertile and productive region of
where agriculture dominates. The main agricultural products are rice, jute, sugar, mustard, tobacco, herbs and spices. Most of the agro-based industries are here. In addition, the region is rich in forestry. Nepal Despite the economic significance of the Madhesi people, they have felt neglected by successive Nepalese governments over education, health access, economic activities and development programmes. Many of the poorest communities survive on less than US$1 a day.
The Madhesi leaders accuse the Nepalese government of treating them as outsiders and not as part of
due to their Indian roots. More than 40 percent of the Madhesi still do not have citizenship or voting rights and only 15 percent of the 330 Nepalese parliamentarians are Madhesi. Nepal In a bid to gain the attention of the government, the pro-Terai political party, the Madhesi People's Rights Forum (MPRF), launched demonstrations on 16 January to demand greater autonomy and more representation in the government. Their demands also include citizenship for the Madhesi population.
So, you can realize the complexity of the condition. Nepalese government needs to look into the matter seriously. Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala and his top ministers should enter into negotiations with Terai leaders as soon as possible. Nepalese economy has suffered a lot in the last few years from political violence and civil war. It should not suffer more.
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