By Amarendra Yadav

Kathmandu, Jan. 13: As soon as Samajbadi Party (SP) Nepal and its chair Upendra Yadav quit the current federal government, he started threatening to launch an agitation.
Following his exit as a Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs on December 24, he spoke at several forums that the marginalised groups like Madhesi and Janajati needed another movement for their rights.
At a party programme in Janakpur around a week after his resignation from the government, Yadav had reiterated the same statement which was criticised and even ridiculed by social media users of the Madhesi community.
Senior advocate Surendra Mahato said that it was immoral for any political leader to give a threat of launching a movement immediately after he/she left government.
“When Yadav was transferred to relatively a less lofty ministry, he started raising the issue of Constitution amendment. When he was compelled to quit the government, he began talking about agitation,” Mahato stated.
The advocate further said that the people in Madhes were not in mood of movement as they were disillusioned to the SP Nepal and Rastriya Janata Party-Nepal because they did not perform as per the people’s aspirations in the federal parliament and government after the 2017 general elections.
When Upendraji was in power he never spoke about the Constitution amendment that was his commitment to the Madhesi people, said Mahato, adding that he had promised to the people that he was joining the government for an amendment to the constitution.
Similarly, political commentator Chandra Kishore remarked that the Madhes-based parties had always tried to use its people for their power politics.
“This time again, Upendraji is thinking of bringing the mass in the streets to gather the power as he is remarkably discredited among his support base due to his 18-month long power exercise in the Oli-led government,” Kishore commented.
According to him, Yadav ascended the Oli-led government going against the mandate of the 2017 elections that was for the Madhes-based parties to continue their struggle at the centre for the amendment to the Constitution.
“This time Madhesi people are not so stupid that they will hit the streets upon a call of that person who was enjoying the power just weeks ago,” Kishore added.
Agreeing with Mahato and Kishore, another Madhes rights activist Tula Narayan Sah said that Upendraji should not talk about agitation for some time.
“In a period of 10 years, Madhesi people launched three movements. However, the Madhes-centric leaders could not take them to a logical conclusion. So, it is better for Yadav not to speak of agitation. If he does so, it only irritates the people at this time,” Sah was of his views.
According to Sah, Yadav should first rethink that for what purpose Madhesi people had made him a hero at the first Madhes Movement 13 years back and what he did for them during this period.
The faith of the Madhesi people was shaken by Yadav’s unusual engagement with the power politics, Sah stated.