Speaking at the CA meeting on Monday, CA member from the UCPN (Maoist), Suresh Ale Magar, expressed reservations over the use of the term"minority" in the preliminary draft. He argued that no caste or ethnic group in Nepal is in a majority."Brahmins comprise just 11 percent of the total population and Chhetris 16 percent. So these caste groups also are minorities" he said.
According to him, the term "minority" is a Western concept and is not appropriate in a country like Nepal. He argued that the draft should rather use the term "oppressed group" and include a provision on uplifting their status.
Brijesh Kumar Gupta of Nepal Tarai Madhes Democratic Party said the draft proposal lacks clarity and doesn´t specify who the minorities are. "Without specifying how many ethnic groups there are in the country, who they are and how many such groups are on the verge of extinction, we cannot safeguard their rights" he said.
He argued that there should be a fresh national census to identify the status of the ethnic groups, and a provision to protect and mainstream them should be enshrined in the constitution. He demanded a fresh national census to establish the number and real status of minorities in the country.
Likewise, Laxman Lal Karna of Sadbhavana party disagreed with the proposal that has a provision on forming commissions to study the status of ethnic groups. "It is fruitless to talk of such commissions at this moment" he said. He argued that the government should rather launch a fresh national census.
Around two dozen CA members spoke during the CA meeting Monday.
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