Ethnic minority protesters in Nepal vowed yesterday to continue their border blockade over a new constitution, rejecting an “incomplete” government proposal designed to end the impasse, and dashing hopes of resolving a months-long political crisis.
More than 50 people have been killed in clashes between police and people protesting against the Himalayan nation’s new charter, which was introduced in September after a devastating earthquake pushed warring political parties to reach an agreement.
Demonstrators from the Madhesi ethnic minority, mainly from Nepal’s southern plains, have been blockading the main Birgunj border crossing with India, saying the constitution and its federal design leaves them politically marginalised.
The protesters want lawmakers to amend the country’s internal borders laid out in the constitution which they say will leave them under-represented in the national parliament.  
In a bid to bring the United Democratic Madhesi Front (UDMF) - an alliance of protesting parties -on board, the government on Monday said it had agreed to support a constitutional amendment bill that would increase the community’s presence in government bodies through proportional representation.
The government also announced it would revise the borders through a “political mechanism”, which would study the issue and submit recommendations within three months.
But the UDMF yesterday dismissed the proposal, calling it “incomplete” and “unclear”.
“The protests will continue as they are until... the federal demarcation is corrected,” the UDMF said in a statement.
Sarbendra Nath Shukla of the Tarai Madhesh Democratic Party said: “The government’s proposal is incomplete and does not address our
demands.”  
Shukla added: “We cannot withdraw our protests just on the basis of such a proposal. The government needs to settle these issues with us first.”
Landlocked Nepal is heavily dependent on India for fuel and other supplies, but little cargo has crossed the border since the protests broke out, prompting Kathmandu to accuse New Delhi—which has criticised the new constitution—of imposing an “unofficial blockade”.
New Delhi has denied the charge and urged Nepal to hold talks with the Madhesis, who share close cultural, linguistic and family links with Indians living across the border.
India has welcomed the Nepali government’s latest proposal, hailing the move as a “positive step that (will) help create the basis for a resolution of the current impasse in
Nepal”.
The constitution was meant to end years of inequality and cement peace, marking the final stage in a peace process that began when Maoist rebels laid down their arms in 2006 after a decade-long insurgency.