[In the no-man’s land at the centre of the bridge, only five Madhesis were sitting underneath a tent. “Indian officials asked us to clear the bridge last night, so we had no choice. The border has been sealed on the Nepal Kathmandu this week are going to be decisive. If the Nepal
By Muzamil Jaleel
 |
With
the Madhesi protest on the bridge having completed 79 days,
hundreds
of trucks and containers are stranded on the road.
Stranded
for weeks, they cook under their trucks.
(Source:
Express photo by Muzamil Jaleel)
|
With
the Madhesi protest on the bridge having completed 79 days, hundreds of trucks
and containers are stranded on the road. Stranded for weeks, they cook under
their trucks.
After
two months of unrest, this border bridge had suddenly become calm. The tents
remain pitched on “no-man’s land” in the middle of the bridge between Raxaul in
India Nepal
The
election brought a temporary calm on the bridge, site of an agitation by
Madhesis against the Nepal
“We
are voting to form a government here that will solve the problem there,” said
Raxaul’s Rajiv Kumar Gupta, 38, standing in a long queue on the Bharti Dutavas
(embassy) compound, a vast gated area right on the border and opened for
polling.
“I
am an LIC agent. Because of the continued unrest and
blockade, many of my policies are lapsing,” he said. “We know we will have our
own vidhayak, our own government. And they (Madhesis) aren’t even treated as
citizens there. This is because Madhesis are from among us.”
Sympathy
for the Madhesi cause is widespread among people living along the border, with
their shared ties going back a long way. “My mother’s home is in Birgunj,” said
Manorama Devi. “I was born there. I came to Raxaul after I got married here. I
am now Indian but Birgunj too is my home.” She said “kamal symbol people have
been particularly good to Madhesis who are sitting (in protest) on the bridge”.
“We voted for kamal. They are helping our brothers on the bridge.” She was
referring to a community kitchen run by a businessman linked to the BJP.
The
BJP candidate is sitting MLA against the maha gathbandhan’s Suresh Yadav (RJD)
and a strong independent candidate, Shyam Bihari Prasad, who deserted the JD(U)
after he was denied a ticket.
A
Customs official at the border toll counter said they had orders to remove the
protesters from the bridge and shut the border until polling is over. “We
didn’t remove their tents but asked them to clear the bridge for 36 hours. They
can come back tomorrow,” he said. A group of central SSB forces patrolled the
toll counter.
In
the no-man’s land at the centre of the bridge, only five Madhesis were sitting
underneath a tent. “Indian officials asked us to clear the bridge last night,
so we had no choice. The border has been sealed on the Nepal Kathmandu this week are going to be decisive. If the Nepal
Dinesh
Sah Kanu, another Madhesi said, “We are happy to see people voting with
enthusiasm. We wish our issue is resolved too. Modiji’s government has been
very helpful.”
Though
the BJP is getting praise from Madhesis as well as Indian voters, it sitting
MLA faces anti-incumbency. “He has not helped resolve a single issue here,” said
Vikram Saraf, 27, a student in the voting queue. “He doesn’t meet people. In Nepal
Raj
Kumar Yadav, a farmer, said many couldn’t come to cast their vote. “Many among
our neighbours, who are working in Nepal
The
contest is triangular. Ajay Singh is in contest with the maha gathbandhan’s
Suresh Yadav (RJD) and a strong independent candidate, Shyam Bihari Prasad, who
deserted the JD(U) after he was denied a ticket.
With
the Madhesi protest on the bridge having completed 79 days, hundreds of trucks
and containers are stranded on the road. A few drivers had lighted kerosene
stoves near a container and were cooking their lunch.
“We
have been stuck here for more than two months. The malik sends a few thousand
rupees once a while to the person who owns this parking space,” says Mukesh
Sahani, from Begusarai. “No one from the administration has come to see what is
happening to us. We went to the thana
Anil Chouhan from
Mirzapur in Uttar Pradesh and Bhim Paswan from Gaya
