While Coordinator Dr Madan Prasad Pariyar handed over to the prime minister its report incorporating the opinion of the minority, the minority members submitted their different report to him. [break]
The 11 states, including a Dalit non-territorial state, have been determined on the basis of viability and identity. The states are Limbuwan, Kirant, Tamsaling, Newa, Tamuwan, Narayani, Magarat, Karnali, Madhes-Mithila-Bhojpura, Madhesh-Abadh-Tharuwan and Dalit (non-territorial).
Similarly, the minority members -- Dr Ramesh Dhungel, Dr Sarbaraj Khadka and Sabitri Gurung -- have recommended six states, mostly stretching north to south. The minority members have not given any names to the six states.
The majority group comprised members nominated by the ruling parties- UCPN(Maoist) and Madhesi parties -- and one member nominated by the CPN-UML. Though the coordinator is supposed to be neutral, he also leaned toward the majority in the end.
The government had formed the commission, at the recommendation of the major political parties, on November 23, to recommend a federal model for Nepal on the basis of viability and identity. The parties, which are divided over the federal model, had agreed to form the commission hoping it would come up with a consensual model. Initially, the commission was given a two-month term to carry out its work, but this was extended by a week after it was unable to complete the report.
The 43-member State Restructuring Committee of the Constituent Assembly (CA) had endorsed a 14-state model through majority vote. But the commission has reduced the number to 11.
Pariyar told journalists after submitting the report that the number of states prepared by the CA committee has been reduced to 11 in view of the "present situation of the states endorsed by the CA committee and their future potentiality".
In addition, the commission has redrawn the border of the states so that a targeted community would, as far as psossible, be in a majority in one state from the perspective of identity, according to a press release issued by the commission. The commission has recommended a Dalit non-territorial state for the Dalits.
The minority members had prepared their own separate report, fearing that the majority would not incorporate their dissenting opinion in the main report. But the majority members duly respected their views in the end.
"We have also incorporated the dissenting opinion expressed in the commission as a part of this report, out of respect for freedom of expression and belief in pluralism," said Dr Pariyar.
The minority members said they decided to prepared their own report as they could not agree on the fundamentals of the federal model -- based on ethnicity -- prepared by the majority.
"We had different opinions on very fundamental issues," Gurung said after submitting the minority report.
Both the factions of the commission prepared their reports separately and briefed the media separately after submitting the reports to the prime minister.
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