Madhesis in Nepal to continue protests till next election, says separatist leader

New Delhi : Madhesis in Nepal protesting against the recently adopted Constitution will continue their agitation until the next election, a separatist Madhesi leader said on Tuesday.

"Somehow Madhesi parties are taking a strategy to continue this movement until next election. So on and off, this will continue until that time but this movement is no more under the control of the Madhesi parties only because people's oppression has become quite different and radicalised," President of Alliance for Independent Madhesh (AIM) C.K. Raut said in an exclusive interview with ANI.

Raut, who gained controversies for demanding right to secession, said that the Madhesis now demand complete freedom from Nepal which is the reason why the movement may go on for a long time.

Madhesis are now demanding a separate, independent Madhes, Raut added, as opposed to the earlier demands when they were demanding two provinces in Madhes.

"The stream has gone out of those mainstream parties' hands and we can see on ground that people are already demanding separate Madhesh, independent Madhes basically. They are no more going to be satisfied just by the demarcation or proportional representation," the separatist leader said.

Commenting on the recently passed amendment, he reiterated the Madhesi community's stand that the amendment was passed unilaterally, without consultation from the Madhesi parties.

"Partially, it was brought by the Nepali Congress government. The agitating parties' demands have not been included at all. Madhesi people have rejected the amendments," Raut added.

The parliament of Nepal amended three articles of the constitution, four months after its promulgation.

The Samyukta Loktantrik Madhesi Morcha dubbed the amendment proposal registered by Nepali Congress lawmaker Minendra Rijal as 'incomplete'.