INTERVIEW WITH HON'BLE.HRIDAYESH TRIPATHI
Hridayesh Tripathi Leader Tarai-Madhesh Loktantrik Party(TMLP)
Hridayesh Tripathi is a political leader who has practically enjoyed his existence in as many political parties as he can. His modest beginning in politics was from the Communist Party led by Keshar Jung Raymajhi. Later, he settled in the Gajendra Narayan Singh led Nepal Sadbhavana Party and currently, he is one of the leaders of Tarai Madhesh Loktantrik Party led by former Congress leader, Mahanta Thakur.
Needles to say, he assumed the post of minister under successive government in the past.
Deshantar talked to this political luminary April 12, 2009, and we found it opportune to let our readers know as to what were his views on contemporary national events. The result follows: Chief Editor.
TGQ1: Why your party Mr. Tripathi pulled its support that you had extended to this government? Is it that your party differed with the functioning style of this government? Your comments please.
Tripathi: Basically, we extended our party's support to this government considering that the Prime Minister will remain honest to the agreement that he made after the Madhesh movement of Falgun 14, 2064 BS. We also held the view that in a parliamentary system, the largest party should form the government. It is these reasons that made us to support this government However, the agreements he made were later dumped or shelved for good.. We gave him one month ultimatum which too went summarily ignored and thus we pulled our support.
While pulling out our support we have complied with the contemporary universal values of a parliamentary system.
Definitely, this government has not been able to function well as was expected. Two Madhesi parties are in the government. We had expected that these two parties will do some tangible efforts in remaining honest to the Madhesi cause and concerns. But they exhibited their helplessness. The Nepal Sadbhavana Party has made it a point to deride our party every now and then.
The minister from the NSP who is also the minister of supplies is speaking with inner guilt.
When he is in government, he claims that 90% of the Madhesi demands have been met with. But when not in power he says that Madhesi demands remains yet unanswered.
It may be a ladder for others to cash in upon the Madhesi cause but for my party-the Tarai-Madhesh Loktantrik Party-it is a sort of mission.
We had told the voters that our mission is to ensure the sovereignty of the people. It is this ideological consideration factor that we opted not to become a part of this government.
The government has failed in each and every sector.
TGQ2: Is it an allegation that even the Madhesi Janadhikar Forum which had the mandate and is in government too has failed in raising the concerns of the Madhesis? Do you mean that? Also tell us that you have had formed a united Struggle committee. Is it that the Committee too has become defunct? Your opinions please.
Tripathi: This is not a charge. However, what is concurrently true is that even the MJF could not accomplish the jobs it had undertaken primarily.
The MJF and the NSP are like Express trains. We thus had expected that they will not remain only in the Constituent Assembly but will also be a partner in government. As a result, there are lesser numbers in the CA to raise the Madhesi concerns.
We have now become the fifth largest party in the CA. Those Madhesi parties which should have initiated and raised concerns of the Madhesis have now become redundant shadow instead began criticizing my party on flimsy grounds. This was unfortunate.
As regards the second part of your question, yes! The front or say the United Struggle Committee has in essence become defunct.
The front has two sides: the first one is in government and the second out of the government.
Those who are in the government have acquired such a height that we (those not in government) can't approach them at all. They have become a rare commodity for us. They have not even thought of that in a united manner the real issues and concerns of the Madhesis should be tackled. We worked together for a while but when the other half entered into the government structure, the culture of proceeding together vanished in the ethereal medium.
TGQ3: Several armed outfits have emerged in the Tarai of late. Given the government's performances, it appears that the situation in the Tarai will deteriorate further? It also appears that the government is freeing all the criminals of late? How do you se it? Your comments please.
Tripathi: The gravity of the Tarai situation has been taken lightly. But it is not so. The government though claims that it has been talking with the Tarai armed outfits, however, the government has so far not talked with the real and the important groups which mean much. That's why no body knows as to where the talks have approached or reached or is at which stage?
To say honestly, the government is just staging a sort of drama that it is engaged in talks to which it is not true altogether. The government appears to avoid meaningful dialogue. Let there be anarchy in the Tarai and exploit the situation for its advantage, this is what the government thinks apparently. It should come to an end abruptly.
These are the results of situation wherein the agreements made in between the protestors and the State has not been honestly put into practice.
The government clearly lacked in providing adequate security in an effective manner. Not only in the past, as of today the Maoists have degraded the moral of the police and the national army as well. But the Home Minister who is from the UML quota is simply trying to save his post with a defeated mentality. Since he was a defeated candidate at time of the CA poll, and thus he might be thinking on how to linger in the post. His defeated mentality has thus been centered only how to preserve his current post.
TGQ4: You talked that the Special Committee constituted under the Prime Minister for the integration of the two armies is an unconstitutional one. But the PM himself sent his Militias to participate in the national sports events.
Also tell us as to why the international community is becoming sensitive towards this particular issue? How you see these developments? Your opinions please.
Tripathi: The two armies can't be kept in one basket. If the Nepal Army is a national army then the militias of the Maoists are the adherents of a political party.
The decision to allow the Maoists militias to participate in the national sport events together with the national army goes contra to the letter and spirit of the peace agreement. The peace agreement has not allowed both the armies the same status. Yes! What has been agreed upon is that the Maoists militias could be rehabilitated and managed. This is the status of the Maoists militias. The Maoists militias can well be integrated into the national army and can also be rehabilitated. And thus to conclude and to keep at par the two different armies is just a childish conclusion.
The international community is at best trying to support the peace process instead of interfering in our affairs. They just want that the peace process takes its logical course. The Nepalese themselves have been steering the peace process and thus the international community is acting like a facilitator. We should not expect their greater role. Though the UNMIN is there still some unfortunate events have happened. The UNMIN is being taken to task as well for its lapses. The UNMIN role must be corrected by the international community.
TGQ5: It is said that the federal structure will finally divide the nation. Is it so? How do you look at?
Tripathi: Federalism for some is necessity and for others it could be a compulsion. Those who have been denied their exclusive rights from the State, for example, the Dalits, Muslims, Tharus , Janjatis and Women folks, the idea of a federal structure is a necessity. And for the rest it could be a compulsion under duress, as I told you earlier. Those who have accepted the theory of federalism have done so under compulsion and have been deforming the very intrinsic values of the federal structure.
In effect, the main struggle today is in between those for whom it is a necessity and those who have adopted it as a matter of fact compulsion under pressure.
The prime significance of federalism is the prevalence of right to self determination. Federalism is based on the principle of autonomy with participation.
Unfortunately, some are still toeing late King Mahendra's line and claim that the nation-state will bifurcate if and when the federalism dawned in the country. This is a wrong notion. No wherein the world the nation-state have split because of federal structure. There is no option left other than to allow federal structure to come into existence. Albeit, in the absence of federal structure the nation may see vertical split.
Our society is in itself the glaring example of federalism and the way we are coexisting with each other is in essence federalism.
Some groups who fear that the power may slip out of their hands are the ones who have been opposing the idea of federal structure for Nepal.
Source::http://www.telegraphnepal.com/news_det.php?news_id=5214&PHPSESSID=693c6ce5cc25d85045c0eee3f899fd0e
Sunil Adhiakri
G.S
AIMSA-bangalore chapter
