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The arrangements and the speech delivered by Chief Minister of Province 2 Lalbabu Raut at the civic reception program organized to welcome visiting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Janakpur has sparked widespread controversy. Responding to the people’s wrath and criticism, the Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration (MoFAGA) has on Monday send a letter seeking clarification from senior government officials of Province 2 over the use of national flag of wrong size and disclaimer. However, neither the MoFAGA nor other state agencies raised questions over the divisive speech by Raut at the same function. Province 2 chief Minister Raut had termed while delivering speech that the constitution of Nepal was discriminatory against Madhesis people. He had added further that they were still denied the rights of a provincial government as enshrined in the national charter. He had no any hesitation to speak against of the nation before the Prime Minister of neighboring country India. Chief Minister Raut would have made the incongruous statement with intent to draw the attention of Indian Prime Minister Modi as India had imposed unofficial blockade on the name of expressing dissatisfactions over the constitution of Nepal in the behest of Madhes based parties in 2015.
As Raut had taken the oath of office and secrecy under the constitution of Nepal as a Chief Minister, how and why he is daring to dub the constitution as discriminatory? As Raut is the chief minister of a state, he would have aware that he does not only represent his party, which is also in a negotiations with the government allies to be included in the government, but the whole people of his province and the country as well. This not only the issue of legal and constitutional but also the matter of ethics and moral to raise the internal matter before the Prime Minister of the foreign country. There is no doubt that he has shown disrespect toward the very constitution which made federalism and his rise to chief minister possible. As his party seems desirous to be a part of the incumbent government, he and his party would defend the controversial speech even pretending to have forgotten policy even becoming ready to beg apology for the remark. Even though some leaders have objected the controversial remarks, the incumbent government does not seem seriously to take appropriate action against the ill-intention presented deliberately by the Chief Minister Raut. There is no qualm that Chief Minister Raut has offended the nation by inviting the Indian interference in Nepal’s domestic.
There is also a possibility of terming the statement as of a gaffe even though the controversial statement was reading out from the written script. We do believe that our ‘nationalist’ Prime Minister KP Oli, who was also present at the same function, would not turn deaf ear over the controversial statement of Chief Minister Raut on the name of taking into confidence the Madhes based parties by gratifying the neighboring India. As we had repeatedly been insisting that the lapses of the constitution would be corrected through the amendment, we would like to repeat here that any legitimate demands raised by Madhesi and Janajaties should be addressed while amending the constitution. But the interesting fact is here that the issue of amending the constitution is being used as of a bargaining tool to get the luxurious ministries even at this time around by the Madhes based parties. The Madhes based parties including Chief Minister Raut should be aware here that everything that need to be corrected in the constitution would not possible overnight but need to follow the due course in the parliament. Nobody or Nothing in the constitution bars Chief Minister Raut and his government in Province 2 from embarking reforms as he had complained before the Indian Prime Minister. Likewise, Madhes based parties deserve the right to make amendment in the constitution even becoming a part of the incumbent government. Though the statement of Chief Minister was objectionable, it do not say to take stern action against Chief Minister Raut as we have just started to practice federal system. But the thing that need to give emphasis that the government should take the issue seriously to make a strong mechanism that such mistakes committed by CM Raut will not happen in future.
