Both the sides to the constitutional debate seem to be spoiling for a fight. This is unfortunate. Soon, if the two sides continue to up the ante, they might reach a point of no return, which won't be in anyone's interest. It won't be in the interest of Nepal or India or the protesting Madheshis and Tharus. On Wednesday, the Madheshi Morcha decided to block the movement of goods into Nepal from the major Indian border points. This, they hope, will cripple Kathmandu and make it more amenable for compromise. Likewise, top Maoist and UML leaders were on the same day heard trying to demonize India and to somehow link the ongoing protests in Tarai-Madhesh to the southern neighbor. We find these developments extremely troubling. There does not seem to be any willingness, on either side, for sensible solutions. Each believes that by raising the stakes it will force the other side to kneel down. Nor, for that matter, has New Delhi officially offering its list of demands on Tarai-Madhesh, as if it were one of the protesting parties in Nepal, been helpful. It's bad diplomacy, too.At least the prime minister seems to be making some effort to defuse the crisis, the clearest signal of which was the cancellation of his planned two-week New York trip. We hope that his continued presence in the country and clear signal of intent to engage the protesting Tarai parties will have the desired effect. He and other top leaders could now visit the trouble spots in the Tarai and directly engage the people. Another confidence-building measure could be for the Big Three to work out possible points of compromise with the agitating Madheshis and Tharus. For instance they can be more flexible over the inclusion of parts of some Chitwan and Sunsari in the proposed province number two. Likewise, in the demand for delineation of electoral constituencies on population basis in Madhesh, there could be a compromise formula, whereby the lower house is elected on population basis and the upper house on the basis of equal geographical representation, as is the case in the US. And surely, if one group really deserves a state of their own, it's Tharus.
Unfortunately, there can be no easy solutions when it comes to managing the breathtaking diversity of Nepal. So the Big Three must be ready to agree to difficult demands of the Madheshis and Tharus. The agitating parties have a point when they ask why they should come for talks when there is nothing tangible on the table from the three parties. But blocking the vital border points and adding to the hardship of common people cannot be a justified form of protest. India, for its part, should realize that prescriptive formulas from New Delhi are more likely to inflame rather than defuse the crisis in Nepal. What India can do instead is prod the two sides for meaningful dialogue and peaceful solutions. But it should not be seen taking sides. Nepali people have repeatedly shown that they are capable of deciding their own fate and as they do so of not letting their territories be used against any of our friends.
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