The Gen-G movement of 23 and 24 Bhadra scattered not only the mainstream parties but also the regional parties. Even the parties active in the east and their leaderships with the core agenda of identity have started participating in the party shuffle.

Many leaders of the identity movement are turning away from their original agenda and are being attracted to traditional big parties. Some have also been attracted to new parties. This cycle of identity politics emerging, conflicts increasing, and leaders turning to different paths has been repeated after years.

Dakendra Singh Thegim, who has been active in the struggle for a long time raising the issue of ethnic identity and autonomy, has recently joined a new party. Arguing that politics is not possible with the identity agenda alone, he joined the party named Ujjala Nepal led by Kulman Ghising.

He also claimed that he has not abandoned the issue of identity. ‘Wherever these principles of identity, inclusive democracy, proportionality, and multiculturalism are, I will be there,’ said Thegim. ‘The same thing is also in the statute and manifesto of the Ujjala Party.’ Now the nomination of the province should be based on multiple identities.'

He became the candidate of the identity-supporting party in the Ilam-2 by-election last year. Gopal Kirati was also considered a strong voice of the identity-supporting party. Once a strong leader of the Limbuwan-Kirat movement, Kirati has been moving between the Alternative Party, the Revolutionary Front and the Identity Front. Now his activities seem to be reoriented towards the old party system. The nomination of the province should be based on multiple identities: Dakendra Singh Thegim [Interview] Kirati has joined the Nepali Communist Party, which is made up of 15 constituents. In the past, Maoist Center leader and former minister Kirati declared at a unity message meeting held in Biratnagar on Monday that he had not abandoned the identity issue. He said, ‘The entire NCP will now take the issue of identity forward.’

A permanent picture that has been seen in identity politics for years is still the same. One party after another is splitting, new parties are born, and one party is leaving and merging with another has been going on for years.

Continuous conflicts between leaders carrying a common agenda, weak organizational structure

Analysts have commented that the inability to adjust the local agenda with the heavy structure of national politics is the main reason why identity activists are unable to move forward together. According to political analyst Mohan Singh Thebe, the identity movement is still necessary and legitimate, but the leadership and organizational base are weak, which has led to this trend becoming unstable. ‘After the leading leaders of the movement took different directions, the agenda put forward by the movement has again been abandoned,’ Thebe said.

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At one time, Panchthar district was considered the center of the Limbuwan movement. After the 2062/63 people's movement, the agitating parties and pressure groups demanding the declaration of the 9 districts east of Arun as an autonomous Limbuwan state used to gather in Feden (Fidim) of Panchthar to formulate strategies.

The Federal Limbuwan State Council, which had been moving ahead in a very organized manner before the 2064 Constituent Assembly elections, had split into two by the time the first Constituent Assembly elections arrived. Kumar Lingden, who left after dissatisfaction grew under the leadership of Sanjuhang Palungwa, and Misekhang Thamsuhang, who later formed a separate pressure group 'Limbuwan Krantikari', remained active in their own groups, but their main agenda was the same, identity.

In the 2064 and 2070 elections, these groups sometimes participated in the elections and sometimes tried to boycott them. In the 1974 elections, the Federal Limbuwan State Council led by Kumar Lingden from the former Province No. 1 managed to win one seat in the Koshi Provincial Assembly through proportional representation. However, by 2079 BS, the Limbuwanist parties could not win a single seat directly, and the leaders and activists dispersed.

Lavahang Chemjong of Panchthar, who was once the district chairman of the forum-affiliated Federal Limbuwan State Council and became its central vice-chairman, is currently active in the Labor-Sanskanti Party led by Hark Sampang. The former secretary and chairman of the council, Kamalraj Nembang, is now in the Janata Samajwadi Party, while many leaders and activists, including Dilendra Subba and Kamal Hangsarumba, who have been active in the Limbuwan and Democratic National Forum for a long time, are also currently in the JSP. Chemjong says that he left the party after concluding that the achievement of a Limbuwan state was not immediately possible as the organization was constantly splitting despite the same ideas and objectives.

After the renaming of the former Province No. 1 as 'Koshi Province', leaders and activists who had been agitating under the name of the Identity Front have also started leaving Limbuwan-related organizations. Many have expressed the opinion that they had to leave their original places after the political environment changed over time. Limbuwan, Identity Front and most of the activists of the JSP are now in confusion.

Dakendra Singh Thegim, the coordinator of the Identity Front and a candidate from Ilam-2 in the 2080 by-election, has also recently joined the Ujjaya Party Nepal led by Kulman Ghising. Some leaders and activists in various components of the JSP and Limbuwan are continuing their efforts to change parties, some to the Congress, some to the UML, some to the Maoists and some to new ones.

Even though the leaders and activists of the old parties have not changed their parties on a large scale, the leaders themselves have started saying that the basis for ensuring a Limbuwan state is not yet ready as Limbuwan, the identity front and the identity supporters are becoming more dispersed and new parties are being registered according to the leaders and individuals. Dr. Madhuraj Kerung, an identity ideologue who teaches at Panchthar Multiple Campus, has commented that many leaders and activists have become unstable after seeing their agenda not being established.

The gate in Phidim, the headquarters of Panchthar, was built in 2074. This structure was named 'Limbuwan Gate' by identity supporters after the 2062/63 people's movement. The gate was demolished during road expansion in 2080, and the municipality is trying to build a new gate in the same place. Is the Limbuwan movement also doomed to never rise like this gate?

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Taplejung's identity leaders are now starting to stand on different political lines. Some are sticking to the old line, while some have started joining the party of Kulman Ghising and Hark Sampang.

Pradeep Maden, the district coordinator of the United Identity Front formed in the third week of Baisakh, is currently discussing Kulman Ghising's 'Bright Nepal' campaign. Commenting on the speech given by Hark Sampang after coming to Phungling, he said, 'He is not talking about identity, there is nothing wrong with that.' Sampang, another identity leader, who did not say a word about Mukkumlung and only made many comments about Kulman Ghising, is also like the leader of the old party, Kumar Samyu, said. 'It remains to be seen how much Sampang will stand on the issue of identity,' he said.

Federal President of the Federal Democratic National Forum, Kumar Lingden ‘Mirak’, issued a statement on November 10, 2005, calling on those who left the party to return. He said that Nepalis who want prosperity with identity should unite in the forum. ‘The forum has been cooperating with parties that share the same issues in elections and movements for a long time.’ Even now, it is being seen what strategy the forum will develop across the country,’ Lingden said, ‘That is why those who want prosperity with identity and leaders and activists who are away from the forum for various reasons are being called to return home.’

Leaders including Muksam Labung near Lingden are active in the district. Although Kirtiman Maden, Pradeep Maden, Kumar Samyu, Muksam Labung, Naveen Pomu, etc. have often stood together on the issue of identity, their statements after the ‘Gen-G movement’ indicate that they may split up again as parties.

Muksam Labung, who has been associated with Lingden's party for years, seems to be in favor of continuously struggling on the same issue. 'We should strengthen the issue by staying in the party that has been working for the same voice for years.' However, I see some friends moving towards new groups,' he said. He said that both the Kirat Yakthung Chumlung and Yakthung Chumlung organizations are moving forward with separate influences in the district.

Indira Menyangbo Limbu, who has been raising the issue of identity, is currently active in the Civil Liberation Party led by Resham Chaudhary. The party has given her the responsibility of Koshi Province in-charge. She was active in the Federal Democratic Forum for a long time. She has also been the district president of Kirat Yakthung Chumlung.

The district's identity-based leadership is currently in a dilemma whether to be attracted to the new political efforts of Hark Sampang and Kulman Ghising or to remain in the old party. Koshi Province MP and JSP leader Nirmala Tawa said, 'In a situation where all parties have been shaken after the Gen-G rebellion, reorganization, reconstruction and building a new force are the need of the day. It is everyone's responsibility to provide suitable political, social and economic guidelines for Nepal by holding the declared elections, and our party is active for this.'