E-Kantipur

KATHMANDU, DEC 12 - For many in the Nepali Congress, the economic and social sustainability are the two major factors to be taken into consideration while federating the country. Ethnic identity, they said, cannot be the basis of provinces' delineation but their naming could be on certain dominant ethnic groups.

A majority of the leaders who spoke on the first day of the party's special discussion programme on state restructuring organised at Nagarkot, Bhaktapur, said the party should not go for ethnicity-based federalism and "capability" should be the main basis of the federal delineation.

A cross session of NC leaders representing Aadivasi-Janjati, the Madhes and Brahmin-Chhetris argued that the aspirations of different ethnicities could be address by systems of reservations and by naming the states after certain dominant ethnic groups but none of these states should guarantee any "priority rights" for any particular group.

"We could go for states named after certain ethnic groups. However, the issues of priority rights will be problematic," said NC leader Surya Man Gurung, who represents Taplejung, the area with highest Limbu population. "We are for federating the country. There is no doubt but new set up has to be sustainable."

The speakers during Monday's discussions were NC President Sushil Koirala, Vice President Ram Chandra Poudel, Minendra Rijal, Bimelendra Nidhi, and others. The discussions, which will continue on December 18, is expected to come up with a final and a consolidated view of the party on all contentions of the state restructuring, said NC leader Nabindra Raj Joshi. 

Meanwhile, some NC leaders also cautioned that some NGOs and INGOs have been "unnecessarily provoking different ethnic groups to demand ethnicity-based federalism".

Though the leaders representing Madhes, including Nidhi and Yadav, spoke of addressing the issues of identity raised by Madhes through the state restructuring, most of the leaders advocated for mapping provinces vertically incorporating all the three geographic regions--mountains, hills and Tarai. Proposed first by late Girija Prasad Koirala, the north-south mapping of federal states is still appealing many in the NC.

Poudel said the party's stand on state restructuring should keep intact current harmony and ensure the rights of all the communities. On numbers, NC leaders said the party should keep itself open.

Posted on: 2011-12-12 09:58

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