Online Khabar
Kathmandu, October 6
These days, Madheshi leaders are busy spitting venom against the Pahadi community in the southern plains. But are they themselves squeaky clean? And will they empower Madheshi people if they indeed manage to get more rights from the centre?
Sadly, a look into their past dealings does not offer a rosy scenario ahead.
Many of the leaders elected in Madhesh chose to make their wives, kin and moneyed people Constituent Assembly members under the proportional representation system instead of offering these seats to family members of those martyrs, who sacrificed their lives for Madheshi people’s rights.
Perhaps because of such unbecoming behaviour, Madheshi parties, which bagged 82 CA seats in the first Constituent Assembly elections, had to make do with 49 seats in second CA polls. Out of the total seats, they won 12 seats through direct elections and got rest of the seats through the PR system. So much so, they even sold some seats to rich people from the Pahadi communities.
Sadbhavana Party Chair Rajendra Mahato has been a champion of the Madheshi people’s rights for quite some time. But he made a mockery of Madheshi people’s votes by making his wife, Shaila Kumari Devi, a CA member under the PR system. A housewife, Deviji was new to politics at that time.
Mahato is not alone in this unethical practice.
Madheshi Janaadhikar Forum splinter, MJF (Republican), got one CA seat under the PR system. And party Chief Raj Kishor Yadav duly handed over this seat to his wife Sarita Kumari Yadav, at the expense of martyrs’ families. Miss Yadav is new to politics: From a housewife to a CA member, her journey has been exciting.
Anil Jha, chief of the Federal Sadbhavana Party, is equally vocal when it comes to talking about Madheshi people’s rights. Jha’s party also got one CA seat under the PR system. Following in the footsteps of Mahato and Yadav, Jha also gave away the CA seat to none other than his wife Dimpal Kumari, an Ayurvedic doctor.
Rastriya Madhesh Samajvadi Party chief was an exception, for, rather than making his wife a CA member, he found Nirjala Raut, rumoured to be his sweetheart, more capable for the job. Raut is an American green card holder. His husband is an American citizen. Raut has given up her US citizenship after becoming a CA member.
Tarai Madhesh Democratic Party lawmaker Indra Jha is also a kin of party Chair Mahantha Thakur. There were rumours in Madhesh that Thakur had offered to make Jha a CA member instead of offering dowry while marrying off his daughter to her son. Jha duly became a CA member and footed the marriage bill. Her husband Uma Kanta Jha is a former government secretary.
CA seats for sale
Under the PR system, Madheshi parties had literally put up lawmakers’ seats for sale. Some of the deals are really interesting.
At a central committee meeting of the Tarai Madhesh Sadbhavana Party, party Chief Mahendra Yadav announced: “Narendra Shah of Mahendranagar has promised 10 million rupees to our party. Is any of you ready to offer more than that? If not, I will make him a CA member.” After none of those present at the meeting offered more, Shah became a CA member.
General Secretary of Rastriya Madheshi Socialist Party, Rameshwor Shah, lodged a complaint at the party, accusing it of not making him a CA member, though he ha d paid it the required sum. Party Chair Sharat Singh Bhandari gave back Rs 12 lakh to Shah and bid him adieu from the party.
Madheshi Janaadhikar Forum (Democratic)’s Bijaya Kumar Gachchadar made three rich people from the Pahadi community CA members through financial dealings. They are Gita Rana, Dr Baburam Pokharel and Dr Subodh Pokharel. The three had never been in politics.
There’s one more interesting incident associated with Mahantha Thakur. Irked with Thakur, his former personal assistant captured ‘his’ vehicle. The aide claimed he had bought the vehicle after Thakur pledged to make him a CA member. Obviously, Thakur had forgotten – or not bothered to – keep his promise.
