Binaya Prasad Chaudhary, a resident of Jaleshwar who lost his father and son to the movement, asked the leaders not to use people for their personal gain."Please do not get engaged in power game. Do not use people for your personal motive. The movement is on the 51st day now. Please try to address it in genuine way," Chaudhary urged reporters to convey the message to Madhes leaders.
He added that those who are leading the protests in Madhes for 'inclusion and equality' should neither bend their knees before the parties in power nor should they use the locals to achieve their personal goals.
"The movement has not yet found a safe landing but it seems that the leaders are already looking for ways to join the government for power sharing," Chaudhary expressed his worries.
According to Chaudhary, the government should make an effort to bring the life of the people in Madhes back to normalcy. "All the genuine demands of the Madhesi people should be addressed and at the same time the protestors should also stop blockades," he asserted.
His son Rohan and father Ganesh Prasad had died on September 9 as police opened fire on protestors during demonstration by Loktantrik Madhesi Morcha in Jaleshwar. Chaudhari also lamented that the authorities have not offered him any support after the incident although the government had announced Rs 1 million to the family of those killed during the unrest.
Similarly, the family of Ameet Kapar, who was also killed during the movement, has not received any financial aid from the government as well. But more than the lack of support, the bereaved family is bothered by the attitude of the leaders.
"None of the leaders have come to see us. It seems nobody cares about us anymore, not even those leaders who are said to be fighting for our rights," lamented Kapar's widow Mantoriya Devi.
Kapar's mother said that the family is in crisis after losing the sole bread winner. "Neither the government nor the parties which are leading the protests have come to help us. Some NGOs have been feeding us since few days," she said.
She demanded that the government should take responsibility of her grandchildren.
Mantoriya Devi is pregnant and has a toddler.
Meanwhile, Chaudhary said that the government and agitating parties should act sensibly and end the Madhes andolan.
"Cultivated fields remained dry for weeks in many parts of Tarai. Had it not rained at the last days of July and August, harvesting this year would have been hardly possible. Moreover, the quake had caused severe damages to farmlands, dampening hopes for better agriculture," said Thakur.
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