‘Madhesh Hunkar’ campaign launched in Kathmandu

KATHMANDU: Leaders and activists who have left Madhesh-based political parties have announced the launch of the ‘Madhesh Hunkar’ (Madhesh Roar) campaign.

At a program held in Kathmandu on Friday, they made public the campaign’s concept paper.

Leaders and activists such as Ram Kumar Sharma, former general secretary of the Janata Samajbadi Party (JSP) Nepal and Keshav Jha, former general secretary of the Rastriya Mukti Party Nepal, among others, are behind the campaign.

According to the concept paper, the campaign aims to achieve five core principles — Sanatan dharma, federalism, social justice, good governance and prosperity — and to restore Madhesh’s indigenous identity, culture, language, knowledge, traditions and civilization in a manner suited to the modern era. It also aims to build a powerful common political organization based on these ideas.

The campaign also plans to launch an initiative to end caste-based discrimination and untouchability, and encourage people to drop surnames from their names in an effort to establish a collective identity.

According to the concept paper, it seeks to end the “one-time president, all-time president” tendency of authoritarianism and undemocratic practices in political parties and campaigns.

The campaign has also called for a provision preventing the same individual from holding positions in political parties and other positions of benefit for more than two terms.