Biratnagar, February 9
As the new session of Provincial Assembly has begun, debates over the new name of the Province 1 has gained momentum again. Chief Minister Sher Dhan Rai wants to name the province from this session.
It has been around one year since the legislative body finalised the provincial capital. Then, the issue of name was put on hold after many lawmakers including those affiliated with the ruling Nepal Communist Party demanded that the name reflect the identity of ethnic groups dominant in the region. However, the new name is unlikely to meet the demand.
After four provinces–Bagmati, Gandaki, Karnali and Sudurpaschim–finalised their names based on their geographic features, the Province 1 is also likely to follow suit. Further, the central leadership of the ruling NCP had directed the provincial lawmakers to name Province 3 Bagmati. Hence, the Province 1 lawmakers also fear that the leadership would interfere if they tried to name the province based on ethnic identity.
“The central leadership wants the name to be selected based on a geographical feature that all can agree on,” an NCP central committee member says, “If it was named based on identity, it can start disputes.”
