Analysis of Madhesi Parties' History of Agreements Amidst Electoral Setback

Kathmandu. Following the recent House of Representatives elections where Madhesi parties were reduced to 'zero,' various commentaries have begun regarding their past activities and agreements.

Since the Madhes movement began in 2063/064, Madhesi parties have made over two dozen agreements with various parties in government and state operation until 2080. Agreements have been made from the 22-point agreement on Bhadra 13, 2064, up to Phagun 21, 2080.

On Phagun 21, 080, an eight-point agreement was signed between CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli, then CPN (Maoist Centre) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda', Rastriya Swatantra Party Chairman Rabi Lamichhane, and Janata Samajbadi Party Chairman Upendra Yadav to form the government. Point number eight of that agreement states, 'We four political parties agree to move forward in the direction of political stability to strengthen national independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity, and for socialist-oriented economic-social development.'

The main objective of that eight-point agreement was to form the government. Point one of the agreement states, 'Recognizing the necessity of collaboration among parties with similar views on good governance, development, social justice, and prosperity of the country to make the government's work more effective according to national needs and public aspirations, a new coalition government will be formed with the participation of CPN-UML, CPN (Maoist Centre), Rastriya Swatantra Party, and Janata Samajbadi Party Nepal. The government will be led by CPN (Maoist Centre) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda'. '

Madhesi parties' agreements have largely been centered on power-sharing, which is evident from these accords.

Point number two mentions supporting the candidate of CPN (Maoist Centre) for the Chairman of the National Assembly, which was vacant, and the candidate of CPN-UML for the Vice-Chairman.

It is clear from this that most of the agreements made by Madhesi parties have been heavily focused on power-sharing.

Point 20 of the 22-point agreement reached on Bhadra 13, 2064, between the government and the then protesting Madhesi Janadhikar Forum Nepal states, 'To immediately form a high-level inclusion task force to determine necessary policies and enact laws for the inclusion of Madhesis, indigenous/nationalities, Dalits, women, etc., in every organ and level of the state.'

Point 6 states, 'During the restructuring of the state, a federal governance system with autonomous provinces will be established while keeping the sovereignty, national unity, and integrity of Nepal intact. The authority, nature, and limits of that autonomy will be determined by the Constituent Assembly.'

Similar language regarding language, inclusion, and state restructuring was mentioned in those agreements. Alleging non-implementation of this agreement, the Forum, along with the then TMLP and Sadbhavana Party, formed the United Democratic Madhesi Front and launched the Madhes movement again. Following the second phase of that movement, an eight-point agreement was reached between the then government and the Madhesi Front on Falgun 16, 2064. The agreement was signed by then Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala, Upendra Yadav on behalf of the then Madhesi Janadhikar Forum Nepal, then TMLP Chairman Mahanta Thakur, and then Sadbhavana Party Chairman Rajendra Mahato.

Point two of that agreement states, 'Accepting the aspiration of the Madhesi people for an autonomous Madhes province and the aspirations of the people of other regions for a federal structure with autonomous provinces, Nepal shall be a federal democratic republican state. Power sharing between the center and the provinces in the federal structure shall be clearly demarcated based on lists. Provinces shall be fully autonomous and empowered. The structure of autonomous provinces, the complete details of the lists for the center and provinces, and the division of powers shall be determined by the Constituent Assembly, keeping the sovereignty, unity, and integrity of Nepal intact.'

Madhesi parties termed this agreement 'historic.' Janata Samajbadi Party Nepal Chairman Upendra Yadav claims that federalism was implemented in the country following this agreement. Point five of the agreement states, 'To provide a national character to the Nepali Army and ensure its inclusivity, proportional inclusion and group entry of Madhesis and other communities shall be ensured.'

In 2078, an agreement was reached between the government led by then CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli and the Tharu Kalyanakarini Sabha, Tharuhat/Tharuwan United Struggle Committee. The first point of that 6-point agreement stated, 'To initiate efforts according to the constitution and law for the withdrawal of all cases and release of E. Dhaniram Chaudhary, Resham Chaudhary, and Laxman Chaudhary, among others, accused in the tragic incident in Tikapur during the Tharuhat/Tharuwan movement.'

Madhesi leaders have consistently made agreements with various parties before every election, not just to join the government, but also for tactical coordination based on their self-interest.

Point number 6 stated, 'The constitution is a dynamic document; its amendment will be addressed by incorporating issues raised by various political parties and communities at different times, based on consensus among political parties according to necessity and justification.'

On Poush 10, 2079, Madhesi party leaders vied to sign the agreement to make then CPN (Maoist Centre) Chairman Prachanda the Prime Minister. Janmat Party Chairman Dr. CK Raut and then Nagarik Unmukti Party Chairman Ranjita Shrestha had already signed at Oli's residence in Balkot.

JSP Nepal Chairman Upendra Yadav, and then independent MPs Prabhu Sah, Dr. Amresh Kumar Singh, and Kiran Sah, who could not reach there, signed at the President's Office. Following that agreement, Dr. CK Raut and Ranjita Shrestha participated in the central government, while Upendra Yadav's party took the leadership of the Madhes Provincial Government.

Madhesi party leaders have consistently made agreements with various parties before every election for tactical coordination based on their self-interest, not just to join the government. The then Forum, TMLP, and Sadbhavana Party, who contested the 2064 elections individually, ended up forming alliances with various parties by the second Constituent Assembly election in 2070. Some parties, including the Forum, formed an alliance with CPN (Maoist), while some Madhesi parties, including TMLP, allied with the Congress.

In the 2074 elections, an alliance was formed between Maoist and UML, while some Madhesi parties allied with the Congress for a limited number of seats. In 2079, LSF Nepal and JSP Nepal could not form an alliance with each other. LSF Nepal went with the Congress-Maoist alliance, while JSP Nepal allied with UML. However, such alliances were limited to a few seats.

The agreement signed by CPN-UML Chairman Oli and JSP Nepal Chairman Upendra Yadav on Ashoj 11, 2079, concluded by stating, 'It was agreed that both parties could field candidates in constituencies other than those covered by the above-mentioned electoral understanding, and this cooperation would continue even after the election.'

As soon as the election concluded, that agreement was dissolved. After the election, JSP Nepal Chairman Upendra Yadav rejoined the Congress-Maoist alliance.

Just ten days after JSP Nepal Chairman Yadav signed an electoral alliance with UML on Ashoj 11, the then LSF Nepal formed a similar alliance with the Nepali Congress. The agreement signed by then Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba and then LSF Nepal Chairman Mahanta Thakur stated, 'An agreement has been reached for seat allocation between the ruling alliance led by the Nepali Congress and the Loktantrik Samajbadi Party Nepal for the purpose of the House of Representatives and Provincial Assembly elections to be held on Mangsir 4, 2079, as follows.'

After the 2074 elections, to join the government, JSP Nepal Chairman Upendra Yadav signed a two-point agreement with the then Nepal Communist Party. The first point of that agreement stated, 'Regarding the demands and issues raised by the Federal Socialist Forum Nepal during the movement, issues related to constitutional amendment will be addressed through mutual agreement in the interest of the country and the people by amending the constitution. Matters that can be done by the government will be included in the government's policy and program. The above actions will be resolved through internal deliberation and consensus.'

Following that agreement, the then Forum also joined the central government.

Since 2064, whenever they joined any government, Madhesi parties have used agreements as a basis. They would join the government after making 2-point or 5-point agreements with every party leading the government. Every agreement mentioned constitutional amendment. Leaders of the Madhesi parties themselves complain that dozens of such agreements have not been implemented.

JSP Nepal Chairman Upendra Yadav participated in the 2074 government but reacted upon leaving the government that he was doing so because the two-point agreement was not implemented.

Whether the Madhesi Front helped make Dr. Baburam Bhattarai the Prime Minister, or when Forum Nepal Chairman Upendra Yadav helped make Jhalanath Khanal or Prachanda the Prime Minister, they made some agreement every time. Bijay Kumar Gachhadar, who separated from Forum Nepal to form Loktantrik Forum, also made an agreement when he helped make Madhav Kumar Nepal the Prime Minister.

Every time Madhesi party leaders joined the government, they did so after making some written or verbal agreement. Due to the inability to implement any agreement, those parties became so weak in the end that they fell to zero in this election. In the recently concluded elections, Madhesi parties could not win a single seat in the first-past-the-post category, nor could they cross the threshold in proportional representation.