Onlinekhabar
Kathmandu, January 20
Leaders of the All Nepal National Independent Students’ Union-Revolutionary have launched a campaign in a bid to reach out to Tarai amid failure of parties to resolve the Tarai crisis.
So how is the situation in Tarai-Madhesh? What do the local people want? Madhav Aryal, vice-president of the ANNISU-R, says: We talked with people from different walks of life — youth, students and others. All of the people we talked to stressed the need to work out a political solution.
Tarai-Madhesh’s youths, according to Aryal, are increasingly worried because the political standoff continues because of some vested interests.
“Both foreign intervention and Kathmandu’s stepmotherly treatment are unacceptable to the people of Madhesh,” Aryal said, adding: We found this sentiment during our journeys from province number one to seven.
According to Aryal, Kathmandu has failed to understand the movement that people of Tarai-Madhesh have launched. He accused some vested interests of playing spoilsport.
“People of the entire country, not just Madhesh, have suffered because of leaders’ selfishness,” he said, adding: Because of the Indian blockade and the movement continuing for days, black marketing has been thriving. The government has not been able to control this.”
Ranjit Tamang, another vice-president of the ANNISU-R, said: If this situation continues, black-marketing will institutionalise and people will continue to suffer. Government authorities should act tough against black-marketing.
“We will become a failed state if the government does not arrest this slide. Select people will reap benefits at the expense of commoners,” Tamang said, adding: During our trip to Madhesh districts, it has become clear to us that we should launch a united students’ movement against black-marketing.
He said: After returning to Kathmandu, we will hold a joint meeting of students and launch programmes (against black-marketing).
On Wednesday, the ANNISU-R team reached Dhangadhi in province number 7. The team includes Ramesh Malla, senior vice-president Narendra Neupane, vice-presidents Aryal and Tamang, Rudra Bista, general secretary Anil Sharma and chief of the central liaison department Ganga Ram Timilsina.
The team plans to visit all seven provinces to clear confusion about the constitution, launch a movement for improvement in the education system and strengthen as well as expand the student union.
