Nepal: Madhesi Front to launch 10-day protest campaign

Nepal's agitating United Democratic Madhesi Front on Saturday said it would launch a fresh protest campaign from next week, in the ongoing political crisis over the country's new Constitution.

The 10-day protest campaign will start from January 12, said leaders of the front while issuing a press statement that rejected the constitution amendment proposal introduced in Parliament. The Madhesi leaders also accused the government of not being serious towards the talks being held with them. However, the previous protest programmes will also continue in the coming days, they said.

The campaign includes protest rally, baton rally, and photo exhibitions, among others. The Front is planning to mark January 19 as a 'Balidan Diwas' or day of sacrifice in memory of those who lost their lives in the ongoing Madhes agitation.

So far, around 50 people, including a dozen security personnel, have been killed in the five-month agitation. The Indian-origin Madhesis have been protesting against the new constitution that divides the country into seven provincial units. Their major demands include re-drawing of provincial boundaries, proportionate representation and allocation of Parliament seats on the basis of population.