“You know we talk a lot about it in the party, but our leadership does not stand willing to do anything substantial,” he complained as Republica inquired if the suggestions made in the meeting would help NC to restore its past sway in Madhes.[break]
Singh in his late 50s shared NC had to face a humiliating defeat in Madhes--the traditional vote bank of the party-- in the last Constituent Assembly (CA) elections as the country´s oldest party has been labeled as ´anti-Madhesi´ by various opposition parties. “Worse still, nothing tangible has been done to brush aside those allegations put on us,” he lamented.
Singh was not a single NC Mahasamiti member expressing such frustration, though. Many other NC Mahasamiti members from Madhes were miffed not only at the absence of Madhesi faces in the dais of this mega event, but their late leaders found no place in the party´s banners as well.
“Our party considers Madhes as its vote bank. But it is ironical that there is neither adequate representation of Madhesis in the party´s decision making body, nor does our party bother to remember our great leaders from Madhes,” commented another Mahasamiti member sitting next to Singh.
In fact, the dais in the Mahasamiti meeting was overwhelmingly dominated by leaders from the Hills. And the banner put up at the Mahasamiti meeting, likewise, displayed only late B P Koirala, Subarna Shumser Rana, Ganesh Man Singh, Krishna Prasad Bhattarai and Girija Prasad Koirala. “Why couldn´t our great leaders such as Durga Nanda Jha, Mahendra Narayan Nidhi, Ram Narayan Mishra, Rameshwar Prasad Singh and Surya Nath Yadav be remembered in a grand occasion like this,” the leader added. “They too devoted their entire life for the party.”
While NC activist Jha was given death penalty over an assassination bid on late King Mahendra, who established party-less Panchayati system after disbanding democratically elected B P Koirala-led government, in Janakpur, Nidhi, Mishra, Singh and Yadav are known for their instrumental roles in establishing Madhes as the base of the country´s grand old party.
Against the overwhelming majority seats that the NC used to secure in the election from Tarai-Madhes districts in all previous elections, NC was reduced to just 13 seats in various 22 Tarai-Madhes districts in the CA elections held in April, 2008.
Keeping in view the declining popularity of the party in its previous stronghold, NC had put Madhes issue as one of the eight main agenda items for discussions during the closed session of the Mahasamiti meeting held in Trivenidhaam, Nawalparasi. Divided into 14 groups on zonal basis, each group of Mahasamiti members were asked to give specific suggestions as to what the party could do to revive NC in Madhes.
Among other things, the Mahasamiti members had suggested to the party leadership to float concrete proposal on federalism in Tarai-Madhes, introduce new policies to ensure proportional representation of Madhesis in all state structures including the party´s core leadership. Also, each of those groups had demanded that party came up with new plans and programs to uplift the living standards of poor people living in the region.
Mahasamiti members from Tarai-Madhes districts are optimistic that NC will be able to win big in the new election if the party sincerely embraces the suggestions that came in the Mahasamiti meeting floor.
“Madhesi people have already seen what Madhes-based parties are really fighting for. Since they have done nothing except for using Madhes as stepping stone to power, NC is sure to secure majority seats in the election if the party selects election candidates judiciously,” said a Mahasamiti member Ram Paltan Sah.
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