The problem of ground people in Madhesh

I recently had the opportunity to visit all the eight districts of Madhesh province after the Phagupurnima (Holi) festival. Apart from party friends, I got a chance to interact with elected officials and members of the general public and understand their problems. This article focuses on the main topics raised in those interactions.

Now the heat is rising in Terai Madhesh. Farmers are worried about getting fertilizers and seeds on time as the rainy season is about to start. Even now, the economic backbone of the people of Madhesh is agriculture. 62 percent of the people here are engaged in agriculture. The contribution of the agricultural sector to the gross domestic product is 39 percent. But if agriculture has not been modernized and commercialized, the lack of irrigation is the same.

Therefore, there is a risk that there will be a food crisis in Madhesh if adequate arrangements for irrigation are not made and it will have a negative impact on the food security of the entire country. The Madhesh region, also known as the 'Grain storehouse', is now suffering from drought due to lack of timely rainfall due to global climate change. Agricultural productivity is declining due to lack of irrigation. Another big problem of Madhesh is flood. As soon as the rains start, there is loss of wealth due to floods. But the government does not provide compensation, nor is there a disaster safety plan like Bangladesh.

According to the flash report prepared by the Ministry of Education, 45 thousand 447 students were enrolled in Bara in 2070. Among them, only 10,064 students are appearing for the SEE examination which started from March 15. More than 78 percent of the total number of enrolled students are lost in between. Both female and male students are equally lost in this district. Only 22 percent male and 21 percent female students have reached class 10.

Similarly, in Sarlahi, another district of Madhesh province, 72 percent of those enrolled in the year 2070 have not reached the 10th standard. The situation is similar in other districts of Madhesh. Compared to the whole country, the quality of education in public schools in Madhesh is low. This is a state of educational crisis. That is why the Madhesh government needs to declare an 'educational crisis' in the province to increase the quality of teaching in schools and conduct a comprehensive campaign to keep students in school until at least class 10.

Another serious problem is the exploitation of Chure area. Due to excessive exploitation of stone, gravel and sand in Chure, our environment is having a bad effect. Initially, stone and gravel were seen as a business, but now some measures have been taken to stop exploitation, but those measures have not been effective. Caste discrimination and racism are widespread in Nepal. Although we have made legal arrangements to end it, it has not been fully implemented. Since caste discrimination, untouchability and superstition are still continuing in Madhesh province, we need to work for that too. The biggest problem of Madhesh is the dowry system. Similarly, due to violence against women, child marriage, polygamy, witchcraft, illiteracy, poverty and unemployment, women are still in great mental pain.

The three levels of government should work together to solve all the problems. It seems that now it is necessary to address the concerns of the people together rather than who is talking about who. In the beginning some work will definitely need budget from the center. Farmers do not get fertilizer and seeds when it rains. There is no irrigation system. The farmers who produce sugarcane, which is a cash crop of Madhesh, have not been able to get the price. All these problems should be addressed by the central government. The local government should also be careful to apply ointment to the pain of the people on the ground. Therefore, the best option now is to find a way to solve the problem by classifying the problem so that there is no 'duplication' in the coordination of the three levels of government.

Congress in Madhesh

The country is changing power recently. In the past, UML-Maoist, then Congress-Maoist and now Maoist-UML has formed a ruling coalition. According to the provisions of our constitution, since no party can get a majority, forming a government from a coalition has become like a compulsion. As Nepali Congress is the oldest and democratic party in the country, it has more responsibility towards the people than other parties. Therefore, there are many examples of the country and the people suffering because the Congress, which always works with the people at the center, sometimes fails to make decisions on time. Congress, which has now moved from power to opposition, should focus on how to address the people's concerns through the House rather than creating a new power equation.

In a situation where the government is on one side and the people's problems and complaints are on the other side, the question has arisen as to why and for what the Congress is. The biggest complaint of the friends of Congress in Madhesh is about coordination in the elections. Because Madhesh is the fertile land of Congress. During the election alliance, there were no Congress candidates and even the election symbol tree disappeared from the election ballots, and the hearts of those who have made great sacrifices and struggles for the party have been broken. The friends also said that it is time to think seriously in this direction as the Congress organization has reached a point where the Madhesh parties are given tickets in the name of harmony. However, the Congress did not get the opportunity to lead in Madhesh province in the past and still does not get it now. Because of this, the Congress workers there are now happy to be in the opposition.

It is unfortunate for the party as a whole that there is a discussion about who came to power and how only those close to it got the opportunity rather than what Congress did after coming to power. A party and leadership loyal to the people should always put the people at the center rather than themselves. However, the fact that the local workers and voters perceive the party as going in the opposite direction has also sent a message that the Congress will not be comfortable in future elections. Now the Congress should strengthen the organization. That means standing on your own feet and strengthening the organization, raising the concerns of the people even from the opposition bench and strengthening the organization.

Madhesh province is the mother of democracy and federalism, we should not forget that there is a big movement that the Madhesi community should have proportional representation in the means and resources of the state. After that movement, the constitution was promulgated and federalism was implemented. If we look at Madhesh behind the implementation of federalism, the government was also formed under the leadership of those who started the movement. Even if the government is formed, it feels like it is far behind from the point of view of economic, social, political and cultural rights. However, we have to realize that the people of Madhesh are the ones who will strengthen Madhesh.

– Sangraula, a former member of the House of Representatives, is a central member of the Nepali Congress.