Complicated Picture
Amid the mushrooming growth of armed factions in Terai, the government is making last ditch effort to resolve the trouble ahead of elections
By SANJAYA DHAKAL
As the realization that resolving Terai problem is going to be the key to holding timely elections has dawned on the political actors and the government, the latter is making last ditch efforts to restore normalcy in troubled southern plains.
On Monday (July 23), Home Minister Krishna Sitaula made a sudden dash towards India cutting short his trip to Terai districts. Although he portrayed his rush across the border as a 'pilgrimage' to meet his spiritual Guru in Jharkhand, reports coming in from Terai claim that he is attempting to meet with key leaders of both factions of Janatantrik Terai Mukti Morcha (JTMM).
Lending credence to the reports, Minister for Peace and Reconstruction Ram Chandra Poudel who is in Janakpur said, on Monday, that formal initiatives to negotiate with JTMM has started. "We tried to contact with both JTMM leaders here but could not do so as they are in India," Poudel said.
In recent days, key ministers of the Koirala government have camped in Terai districts. Immediately after the high level inter-party coordination committee directed the government to resolve the Terai problem through talks, senior ministers have rushed to different districts of Terai.
Ram Chandra Poudel, Education Minister Pradeep Nepal and Home Minister Krishna Sitaula visited different Terai districts sounding out conciliatory tones to the agitating Madhesi parties in an apparent effort to control the damage caused by Sitaula's recent remarks where he vowed strong security actions if the Terai agitators did not come for talks within mid-August.
Even as the ministers have been holding interactions with the various stakeholders, party leaders, civil society and media representatives in Terai, the initial response from the JTMM and Madhesi Janadhikar Forum (MJF) have been cold. The MJF boycotted the interactions called by Poudel and waved black flags at Sitaula.
The ministers are moving around in Terai district headquarters amid a watertight security arrangement. Minister Poudel is said to be escorted by half a dozen vehicles of Armed Police Force (APF).
The ministers have not been able to venture out to the villages in Terai due to security reasons. The APF chief Basudev Oli is also in Terai taking stock of security situation. The APF has been assigned the task of providing security to the CA election.
The sudden urgency with which the government is dealing the Terai issue could be linked with the race against time to hold CA elections in free, fair and fearless atmosphere in November. Many analysts have already pointed out that in case the government is not able to sort out the problem in Terai within a month or so, holding of CA elections in a peaceful atmosphere could not be realized even in November. The Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Bhoj Raj Pokharel has also repeatedly appealed to the government to create favorable security situation.
The seriousness towards the security situation in Terai increased among the political parties due to continued killing. Last week, cadres of Janatantrik Terai Mukti Morcha (Jwala Singh) butchered Ramhari Pokharel, secretary of Govindapur VDC of Siraha district. His murder has triggered an agitation by VDC secretaries across the country who have stopped their works demanding security. The JTMM faction has also asked all government employees of Pahade (hilly) origin to leave Terai within a week or face physical action.
In the aftermath of intensification of violence in Terai, Minister Poudel has distanced the government from the recent remarks made by Home Minister Krishna Prasad Sitaula where the latter claimed of using force to check Terai violence if the groups there did not come for talks within two weeks. "The government does not believe that administrative measures will resolve problems in Terai. We are firmly committed to resolving the problem through dialogue," Poudel said.
Furthermore, the government talks team headed by Poudel is also scheduled to hold second round of talks with the Madhesi Janadhikar Forum (MJF) on July 25 in Kathmandu. This talk along with parleys with JTMM factions could determine how things will proceed in the coming weeks.
