Our top leaders need to visit places like Tikapur and Birgunj that have become epicenters of Tarai protests. This is important. Currently, there is a big communication gap between Kathmandu and the outskirts. The protesting Tharus and Madheshis feel the Pahade leaders safely ensconced within the confines of Kathmandu Valley don't care about what happens outside. Or that these leaders are incorrigibly biased against Tharus and Madheshis. It would be really unfortunate if our leaders were indeed so myopic and self-serving. If not, they need to get out of Kathmandu, go visit the troubled spots and assure the people there that their legitimate concerns will be factored in while writing the new constitution. Such visits would also boost the flagging morale of the security forces that have become used to blindly following orders from Kathmandu. They need to know that the state is fully behind them. The restraint they have shown in the most trying circumstances needs to be adequately appreciated by the political leaders on whose orders they are deployed.It would be dangerous to let things take their own course in the Tarai belt. If the center is aloof of ground realities, frustration will creep in, both among the protestors and the security forces. In that case they could take things into their own hands. If political leaders come to them, the protestors will be able to air their grievances directly with those at the decision-making level. This will cut out the middlemen who filter reports from the ground to serve their vested interests. Whether the four-party leaders realize it or not, things in the plains are slowly starting to slip out of their control. One of the reasons, again, is the gap in direct communication between the protestors and the government. The genuine demands of the marginalized communities are being mixed up with spurious demands of the infiltrators whose only intent is to foil the constitutional process. If these forces prevail, Nepali people will never be able to write their own constitution.
Even when they were canvassing for votes ahead of the second CA elections, people had expressed their displeasure with their leaders, who, they complained, came to visit them only on election-eve and for the rest of the time conveniently ignored their existence. The political leadership needs to rebuild the lost touch with the grassroots. There is no better time to reconnect with their constituencies and get their vital feedback than at a time of a major crisis for the country. They should get a first-hand feel of what animates the people, what makes them willingly risk their lives. Solutions will emerge only when our leaders are able to feel the public pulse. It is said that the statesmanship of political leaders is tested only when ground realities are against them. If the leaders of our major parties can safely see the country through these difficult times, there will be no better evidence of their statesmanship. But are they up to it? If they are, they should hit the ground running right now.
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