Decision of recruiting Madhesi youths into NA triggers debate

Kathmandu, Dec 22, The decision of recruiting Madhesi youths into Nepali Army (NA) has raised problems as the government would need to fulfill the vacant posts of NA through applications from all regions. Speaking at an interaction programme organized by the Reporter’s Club, Minister for Irrigation Mahendra Yadav said that the cabinet decision of allowing recruitment of Madhesi youths in NA was at odds with the practice of recruiting youths representing hilly, mountainous and Terai regions. According to him, the decision would have to seek applications in the ratio of 5, 3 and 8 places respectively from hilly, mountainous and Terai regions. Minister Yadav’s remarks came at a time when major ruling political parties and opposition parties were giving a mixed reaction over the government’s decision of allowing recruitment of Madhesi youths in NA. He made it clear that the proposed recruitment in NA would include hilly, indigenous, Janajati and dalit representatives. The name of NA barrack to announce the applications for Madhesi youths would be based on the identity of Madhes, he said. However, he claimed that the decision of allowing recruitment would not be withdrawn at any cost as the government had made it in accordance to the earlier agreements. At the function, UCPN-Maoist leader Haribol Gajurel reiterated that all processes would be hindered if the next national government was not formed under the leadership of the Maoist party. The current government accelerated the pace of the peace-process, so the next national government should also be formed under the premiership of Dr. Baburam Bhattarai, said leader Gajurel, who is also a politburo member of the Maoist party. "As Maoist party is already flexible in the peace process, the hindrances posed by other parties may lead the nation into confusion," he said. Referring to the cabinet decision of allowing recruitment of Madhesi youths, he said that no one could benefit by objecting to the decision. "The procedure of the admission in NA should be finalized by consulting with the political parties," Gajurel said. CPN-UML leader Bhim Prasad Rawal, however, opposed the government decision as it was made to stabilise the current government ignoring the prospects of undermining nationality and national security. Claiming that the allowing recruitment of Madhesi youths was introduced in line with the thinking of splitting 22 districts of the Terai belt, he added that conspiracy to weaken NA was being hatched in the name of making NA inclusive. Nepali Congress leader Dr. Ram Sharan Mahat said that the current government should not be stabilised with corruption and bad governance if it could not accelerate the pace of the ongoing peace process. "The progress in the peace process is again stalled as three meetings of the Army Integration Special Committee (AISC) have been postponed," said leader Mahat, who is also a member of the AISC. Blaming that the government had not directed NA to prepare the draft of the army integration yet, he said that no one was against the government’s decision of allowing Madhesi youths in NA but a battalion for the same group of youths was not acceptable at any cost.