A Tharu leader, Kishor Kumar Biswas, said the creation of the “unarmed” militant wing has two main objectives: one, to stage protests to press for an autonomous Tharu province in the new constitution; and two, to resist and confront Madhesi underground outfits and mainstream Madhesi parties, who Biswas claims are trying to disintegrate the country in the name of One Madhes One Province.
The 500 youths, clad in camouflage t-shirts as shown by private television channels, marched in Duhabi, Saturday. They are from Sunsari, Jhapa and Morang districts, said Biswas. These youths make, as what Tharu activists call, “Tharuhat Defense Force (TDF)”.
Similar parade has been scheduled in Saptari on December 20 to make public another group of TDF from Saptari, Udaypur and Siraha districts. Similar, relatively low-profile, parades had been conducted in Dang district in the mid-west region three months ago and in Dhangadhi in the far-west region last month. The male-female ratio of the TDF is 7:3, said Biswas.
Biswas claims that there is no resistance from anybody to the TDF so far. “Instead, we have been receiving goodwill and sympathy from the people,” said Biswas, also a member of the Tharuhat Joint Struggle Committee that has been involved in creating the force.
“These youths have already received military and political training,” said Biswas, claiming that the military training was given without using any firearm.
He said the group will resist increasing “terrorist activities” of Terai-based armed groups, who the Tharus claim are trying to disintegrate the country through their demand of “One Madhes One Province”, a demand shared also by mainstream Madhesi parties.
Nepal Sadbhavana Party-Mahato had made public its militant youth wing in December last year.
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