KATHMANDU: Senior leader of the National Independent Party, Balendra Shah (Balen), has said that the people of Madhesh will no longer need to travel to Kathmandu to demand their rights.
Speaking at a program organized in Janakpur on Monday, Shah urged people to visit Kathmandu only for tourism and religious purposes, such as sightseeing and paying homage at Pashupatinath and Swayambhu. He stressed that Kathmandu should no longer be a destination for seeking basic rights.
“Go to Kathmandu to tour the city. Go to visit Pashupatinath and Swayambhu,” Shah said. “But do not go there to demand your rights anymore. Those rights will now be available here, within this province itself.”
Shah also claimed that a son of Madhesh would become the next prime minister, asserting that voting for the bell symbol would bring the right leadership at the right time. “A son of Madhesh will now become prime minister. Everyone must vote for the bell. The right time and the right government will come,” he said.
Referring to protests by sugarcane farmers from Madhesh at Maitighar in Kathmandu, Shah said he was unable to help them at the time because he was only serving as the mayor. However, he pledged to address farmers’ demands through central-level politics.
“When sugarcane farmers from Madhesh came to Maitighar, I could not do much because I was just a mayor,” Shah said. “But now I am with you, because I have entered central politics.”
His remarks come as he positions himself as a key national leader, promising to resolve long-standing grievances of the Madhesh region through federal leadership.
