Would granting the name Madhesh Pradesh to Province 2 in Nepal on ethnic lines become a hindrance in the future?
On 17 January, the provincial assembly of Province 2 in Nepal with over two-thirds majority named Province 2 as Madhesh Pradesh with its capital in Janakpur. Of the total 99 provincial assembly members who cast their votes on that day, 78 voted in favour of Janakpur as the capital; whereas 80 voted for Madhesh as the name of this province. Under the federal democratic republic Constitution of Nepal, promulgated in September 2015, this province was given a numerical name as Province 2 with its temporary capital in Janakpur.
As per the Nepalese Constitution, each province in the federal structure was free to choose its name as well as its capital if it was endorsed by at least two-thirds majority of their respective provincial assemblies. Accordingly, all the five provinces, including Province 3, Province 4, Province 5, Province 6, and Province 7 were successfully given names. Province 1 is yet to be named, though it has already selected the name of its capital.
The decision made by the provincial assembly members of Province 2 to name it ‘Madhesh Pradesh’ is applauded most by the people. Commenting on the naming Province 2 as Madhesh Province, the Former Deputy Prime Minister and Senior Leader of Loktantrik Samajwadi Party, Rajendra Mahato, said that the new Madhesh Pradesh is a milestone in Nepal’s move towards federalism. Lal Bahu Raut, Chief Minister of Madhesh Pradesh stated that the naming of Province 2 as Madhesh Pradesh has given an identity to the Madheshi people for the first time in Nepal’s history. Similarly, Upendra Yadav, the Leader of the Janata Samajbadi Party, found that the naming of Province 2 as Madhesh Province has honoured the sentiments of the Madhesh movement.
As per the Nepalese Constitution, each province in the federal structure was free to choose its name as well as its capital if it was endorsed by at least two-thirds majority of their respective provincial assemblies.Though Madhesh Pradesh is the smallest province amongst all the seven provinces in Nepal in terms of land area, it is the most populous of all provincess. It comprises eight out of 22 districts in the Terai region, including Saptari, Siraha, Dhanusha, Mahottari, Sarlahi, Rautahat, Bara, and Parsa. The boundary of Janakpur, the capital of Madhesh Pradesh, is also fixed to Dhalkewar East-West Highway to the north, Kamala River to the east, Mithila Maadhmik Prakrima road to the west, and the Nepal-India border to the south. The great majority of the population in Madhesh Province speak Maithili and Bhojpuri. Because of its distinct culture, language, and identity, it is different in all these aspects from the other six states of the country. Its contribution to GDP and also in the revenue generation is much more than any other province. Significantly, the naming of Province 2 as Madhesh Province based on cultural identity might have ripple effectsin Nepalese politics. All other provinces that have been given the name are either based on the name of the rivers or geographical location. Since there are different ethnic groups or nationalities in Nepal, they could also ask for provinces based on ethnicity as in the case of Madhesh province. The people of Madhesh Province have a grudge that they are discriminated against by the state as they don’t have adequate representation in different layers of administration, including executive, legislative, judiciary, security agencies, and foreign affairs. Politically, their representation in different political parties is not so satisfactory. To secure their rights, representation, and autonomy in national administrative and political structure, the people of this region imposed an economic blockade almost for six months during the Madhesh movement in 2015-16.
The people of Madhesh Province have a grudge that they are discriminated against by the state as they don’t have adequate representation in different layers of administration, including executive, legislative, judiciary, security agencies, and foreign affairs.However, the Madhesh movement in 2015-16 largely failed as core demands of the people were hardly addressed. Nevertheless, it cannot be denied that it was under the pressure of the Madheshi people that the Nepalese Constitution adopted a federal structure in which 753 local village councils/municipalities have been functioning at the local level, seven governments at the provincial levels, and one government at the central level. Though the country claims to have adopted a federal democratic republican constitution, no adequate power has been delivered to the provincial and local governments. Both the provincial governments and the local bodies are bound to remain dependent upon the mercy of the Central government in the allocation of resources for development and also the supply of civil servants to them. In appearance, the political structure is designed as federal, but in a true sense, the country remains almost as centralised today as it was functioning in the unitary form.
Except for the Madhesh province that occupies eight out of 22 districts, the rest of the region of the Madhesh region was assimilated with the other four hill-based provinces.Of the three ecological regions of the country like the mountain region, the hills, and the Madhesh/Terai, the Madhesh region spreads from the Mechi river in the east to the Mahakali River to the west, the inner Terai/Shivalik range of the Himalayas in the north to the Indian border states of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh to the south. However, in the federal structure, the Madhesh province has been divided into pieces. Except for the Madhesh province that occupies eight out of 22 districts, the rest of the region of the Madhesh region was assimilated with the other four hill-based provinces. Therefore, in the broader perspective many Madheshi leaders, including Mahanth Thakur and Rajendra Mahato, still think that the Madhesh region, on the whole, is not confined to only eight districts. The entire region from east to west in the Terai region carries common culture and identity under the broader framework of the country. In the past, the Government of Nepal had agreed with the Madheshi leaders that the Madhesh region will be granted “Ek Madhesh, Ek Pradesh” i.e. “One Madhesh, One Province” with the right to autonomy, but later on, the agreement could not be implemented. The naming of Province 2 as Madhesh Province based on the identity of the people has cheered the Madheshis. Such a development might bring a wave in the Nepalese political system as ethnic groups from other regions might also like to have provinces delineated on this basis. However, the naming or formation of provinces on ethnic lines is not important in itself. What is important is to create an enabling environment in the federal structure whereby the different provinces get autonomy, both in financial and administrative matters. It could be expected that the political leaders of the country would consider this dimension seriously and contribute to strengthening federalism, democracy, and republican system by granting due power to the provincial and local units.
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Hari Bansh Jha is a Visiting Fellow at ORF. Formerly a professor of economics at Nepal's Tribhuvan University, Hari Bansh’s areas of interest include, Nepal-China-India strategic ...
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