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Whenever the parliament functions again (hopefully in our lifetime), it should pass a "No CA, no pay" bill; and get the president (so far a ghost) to sign it into a law.  Will Madhesi parliamentarians accept their pay and perks for doing nothing more than obstructing the CA? To date (July 9), they have disrupted the CA nine times, and caused postponement three times. About one-sixth of a citizen’s income goes towards tax which finances the total Rs 45,598 monthly salary of each CA member (including the extra onetime furniture-grant of Rs 15,000). Many medical doctors in our country make only Rs 10,000 a month. Scores of Nepali PhDs don’t even approach the salary our lawmakers, some illiterate, are receiving. No one will grudge the money that Madhesi MPs make, provided they play a positive role in the CA. The Madhesi leaders don’t realize how stupid the TV-watching nation regards their familiar antics each time the house tries to meet. Imagine the Commoner-in-Chief Gyanendra Shah chuckling from Nagarjun. Just allow the CA disruptions to continue for too long, and the people start pining for a dictatorial monarchy again. Gyanendra allowed no parliament; and what a saving of money (for his pocket) that was! Note the numerous “faithful" that greeted him on his birthday. The former king, not settling in Singapore like his son, abides his time. If England became a monarchy again after trying republicanism under Oliver Cromwell, so can Nepal. Leading the CA disruptions are disgraced Madhesi politicians, two of them black-sheep of the Nepali Congress. One fell as a minister due to corruption involved in importing mobile phones. Long ago, fellow hooligans had beaten another and left him for dead in a ditch in Biratnagar. A few other Madhesi leaders have similar backgrounds. Amazing too is the sight of female Madhesi CA members. They raise their hands and shout slogans, more like parrots than out of conviction. Why? The "one Madhes, one Pradesh" demand is so preposterous that the Janajatis, aborigines, Tharus, and almost the entire nation voice disapproval. Human beings depend on each other. As a Pahadi, I appreciate the Madhesi seller who brings bananas to my door. Similarly, Pahadi farmers grow oranges that delight the Madhesi palate. As regions, the Pahad depends on the Madhes for food, while the Madhes would remain dark without electricity the mountain-rivers produce. So federal states with both Pahad and Madesh should thrive. Having a long "Madhes Pradesh" from Mechi to Mahakali would create a hot, flat region just like a state of India. Many fear this "Madesh Pradesh" will eventually join Uttar Pradesh. The behaviour of a few Madhesi CA members gives credence to such a fear. Why do some of them use Hindi in the parliament when they haven’t forgotten Nepali? Why has Hridayesh Tripathi taken the vow of silence on the Indian encroachment in Susta? Who knows what hidden agenda Upendra Yadav (advocate of a Hindu state and monarchy at one time) has in his "one Madhes, one Pradesh" slogan? The post of the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh? Still, in a democracy, people can advocate any aim peacefully without disrupting the nation’s right to a functioning CA. No democracy-loving citizen will accept the imposition of mob-dictatorship by Madhesi parliamentarians. These "law-makers" should bring their demands to the CA, and let the 601 nation-saviours discuss them. With the emergence of the CA after the April 10 poll, the three or the seven parties shouldn’t make decisions on their own to placate the Madhesi MPs. Let the 601 use their gift of gab. Parliament-disruption has become only too frequent. UML and Maoists, allied to form a government, now reap what they sowed. The UML earned notoriety as the foremost gurus of parliamentary disturbance, doing so 57 times in the past against the NC government. The Maoist and Sadbhavana parties qualify as the second joint tutors of such disruptions, which they together started in April 2007. Later on, the Maoists performed similarly on their own. The present Madhesi parliamentarians may surpass the past Maoist, Sadbhavana performances. Speaking over the BBC Nepali programme last week, Maoist leader Baburam Bhattarai claimed that the past Maoist parliamentary disruption was justified because it was agitation for a republic! His Madhesi counterparts now feel their issue just as important. On July 5, Bhattarai claimed the Madhesi disruption was against democracy, as if the Maoist wasn’t. As one benefit of the present CA disruption (a silver lining in a black cloud), we have presently the amazing Maoist sobriety. Gone are the fiery speeches of Tundikhel. Not able to settle on a president or a government even three months after the poll, Prachanda has suddenly turned into a meek Dahal, even winning the Regmi peace prize (for sending 15,000 to eternal peace?). Baburam suspects regressive forces (e.g. NC, India, and USA) not wanting a Maoist government urging the CA drama. The rotund, chubby, boy-faced Jhallubabu (JN Khanal), who ditched Girijababu to surrender the UML to the Maoists for the presidency and ministerial berths, doesn’t know how to tame the Madhesis. All three taught their Madhesi "students" who may outdo their gurus. Whenever the parliament functions again (hopefully in our lifetime), it should pass a "No CA, no pay" bill; and get the president (so far a ghost) to sign it into a law. Any parliamentarian that disrupts the house will not get the salary for the days s/he throws tantrums. Nothing pinches more like a hole in the wallet; and only this can bring our agitating CA members to senses. Not shame (which they lack) but one less bottle of whisky or no cash for a Banarasi sari will become the disciplining factor. The tax-payer will rejoice that her/his money doesn’t go waste on rabble-rousing parliamentarians. Then, perhaps a new constitution may emerge after two and half years. The mantra? No CA, no pay! This article was publsihed in TKP in July 10 2008 Newer...
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