Karnali’s 7th anniversary: Turmoil mars celebrations of triumph

Surkhet, August 20 - On August 8, 2015, the then government decided to merge Karnali with Sudurpaschim province. This decision sparked a 13-day movement in the Karnali region.

During this period, there were conflicting voices: some advocated for declaring the former Karnali zone as a separate province, while others wanted to maintain the Midwestern region as a unified entity.

Amid this controversy, on August 8, 2015, the Special Committee of the Constituent Assembly, which included top leaders from major political parties, announced a federalism blueprint delineating six provinces. Following this, Karnali's demand for a separate province intensified.

Starting on August 9, the movement, organized under the banner of ‘Unified Midwest’, spread across all 10 districts from Surkhet. During the protests, Gopal Singh Rajwar, Tikaram Gautam and Yam Bahadur BC of Surkhet and Hari Bahadur Kunwar of Jumla were martyred.

After the movement reached its peak, the government declared 'Province No. 6' on August 21, 2015, incorporating 10 districts: five from Karnali zone, three from Bheri, and two from Rapti.

Seven years have passed since the formation of the province government. Initially, Mahendra Bahadur Shahi from the CPN-Maoist Center served as the first Chief Minister. He was followed by Jeevan Bahadur Shahi from Congress, Rajkumar Sharma from the Maoist Party, and currently, Yamalal Kandel from UML. Despite its origins in rebellion, Karnali province’s slogan, "Prosperous Karnali, Happy residents of Karnali," remains just a slogan.

The rebellion underscored the significant role of the people in the movement compared to the political parties. Karnali, long neglected since the Panchayat era, needed federalism. However, after its formation, businesspeople, professionals, and students led the movement, pushing political parties to act only in response to public protests. On February 24, 2018, the Province Assembly officially named the province as "Karnali Pradesh."

Despite seven years of governance, the political focus has shifted more towards power struggles rather than making Karnali prosperous. As a result, the province's development remains stagnant, with questions arising about the effectiveness of the federal structure due to political conflicts and ineffective use of budgetary resources.

Various programs are being held to celebrate the province’s establishment day on Tuesday, and the Karnali province government declared a public holiday.

Additionally, four individuals who lost their lives during the movement for Karnali’s establishment have been declared martyrs. Government Spokesperson Binod Kumar Shah announced that in the recent Council of Ministers meeting, it was decided to display the names and pictures of the martyrs in all ministries and offices under the ministry and to provide employment to one family member of each martyr.