New Delhi, 4 October.

More than 100 prominent persons from different sections of the society have expressed their anguish on the interference by India in Nepal’s internal affairs. They have welcomed the promulgation of the Constitution on 20 September. Mentioning the displeasure shown by the government of India on the promulgation of the constitution the statement underlines the fact that ’this has further embittered the relation between the two which is already not satisfactory due to the big-brotherly attitude of the consecutive Indian governments which the Nepalese people see as an expansionist policy.’ The statement says that ‘It is the right of the sovereign people of Nepal to elect their representatives, to decide what ruling system they should have, to frame the Constitution and to make any changes in it. The Indian government has violated this principle of peaceful co-existence between neighbouring countries.’

Prominent intellectuals and the leaders of left, democratic and revolutionary political streams have endorsed the statement. The signatories include S. Sudhakar Reddy, Gen. Secy. CPI; Amarjit Kaur, National Secy. CPI; Swapan Mukherji, Polit Bureau Member of CPI–ML (Liberation); K. N. Ramchandran, Gen. Secy., CPI-ML (Red Star); Debbrata Biswas, Gen. Secy., All India Forward Block; Akhilendra Pratap Singh, National Convenor, All India People’s Front; Sheomangal Siddhantkar, Gen. Secy., CPI-ML (New Proletarian); Raghu Thakur, President, Loktantrik Samajwadi Party; Arjun Prasad Singh of People’s Democratic Front of India among others.

More than hundred writers, journalists, academicians, filmmakers have endorsed the statement. Prominent among them are Anand Patwardhan (Filmmaker), Anil Sadgopal (Educationist), Amit Bhaduri and Nirmalangshu Mukherji (Academician), Manoranjan Mohanty (Political Scientist), Kamal Nayan Kabra , Girish Mishra and Jaya Mehta (Economists), Shamshul Islam (Theatre activist) and the writers , poets, journalists like Asad Zaidi, Mangalesh Dabral, Pankaj Bisht, Vishnu Nagar, Neelabh, Pankaj Singh, Vishnu Khare, Ranjit Verma, Ujjawal Bhattacharya, Madan Mohan, Gautam navlakha, Anand Swaroop Verma, Shastri Ramchandran, Rahul Pandita, Abhishek Srivastava, Palash Bishwas, Javed Naqvi, Amalendu Upadhyay and many others.

The Statement and the names of the signatories is attached herewith.

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Statement

Stop Interfering in Nepal

After seven tumultuous years following the overthrow of the more than two century old monarchy which led to elections to form a Constituent Assembly, and many governments failing to fulfill the task of finalizing a Constitution, at last on 20^th September the president of Nepal has promulgated the new Constitution amidst support from overwhelming majority of the CA and people. The Constitution creates seven states in a secular, federal system.

At the same time it is opposed on the one hand by the religious fundamentalists who want to make Nepal a Hindu state and on the other hand by the leaders of Madhes and Tharu sections in the Terai region bordering India, who demand recognition of more rights and representation in the Constitution.

Nepal is a small country of 29 million people sandwiched between its two bigger neighbours, China and India. While China has welcomed the Constitution, India has expressed unhappiness that it does not fulfill the aspirations of the Terai people. This has further embittered the relation between the two which is already not satisfactory due to the big-brotherly attitude of the consecutive Indian governments which the Nepalese people see as an expansionist policy. It is the right of the sovereign people of Nepal to elect their representatives, to decide what ruling system they should have, to frame the Constitution and to make any changes in it. The Indian government has violated this principle of peaceful co-existence between neighbouring countries.

We, the undersigned extend full support to the people of Nepal on the occasion of the promulgation of their Constitution. We oppose the interference of the Indian government in the internal affairs of Nepal. It is the right of Nepalese people including the people of Terai region to make any changes in the Constitution promulgated on 20^th September. We extend warm greetings to the people of Nepal in this important phase in their struggle.

Asad Zaidi/ Poet, editor

Anand Patwardhan/ Film maker, Human Rights activist

Akhilendra Pratap/ Gen. Secy. All India People’s Front

Amarjeet Kaur/ National Secy., Communist Party of India

Anil Sadgopal/ Educationist

Amit Bhaduri/ Academician

Anand Swaroop Verma/ Journalist, Editor ‘Samkaleen Teesari Duniya’

Anoop Saraya, Physician

Aurobindo Ghosh/ Advocate, Human Rights activist

Amalendu Upadhyay/ Journalist, Hastakshep.com

A. K. Arun/ Editor ‘Yuva Samvad’

Anil Chaudhary/ Social Activist

Anwar Jamal/ Filmmaker

Ashok Kumar Pandey/ Poet

Arun Tripathy/ Journalist

Abhishek Srivastava/ Journalist, ‘Junputh.com’

Atal Tewari/ Journalist

Amit Shukla/ Advocate

Avinash Pandey/ Journalist

Bhupen Singh/ Journalist

Bhasha Singh/ Journalist

Bhaskar Upreti/ Journalist

C. P. Jha/ Journalist

Debbrat Biswas/ Gen. Secy.,All India Forward Block

Dinkar Kapoor/ All India People’s Front

Dulali Nag/ Lecturer

Dilip Khan/ Journalist

Digambar/ Writer, Social Activist

Dharmanad Lakhera/ Writer, PWA

Feroz Mithiborwala/ Human Rights activist

Faisal Anurag/ Social Activist

Gautam Navlakha, Author, Journalist

Girish Mishra/ Economist

Govind Pant Raju/ Journalist

Himanshu Kumar/ Social Activist

Harsh Kapoor/ Journalist South Asian Citizens Wire

Hiranmay Dhar/ Social Scientist

Himanshu Ranjan/ Journalist

Ish Mishra/ Jan Hastakshep

Jaya Mehta/ Joshi-Adhikari Instt. Of Social Studies

Javed Naqvi/ Journalist

Javed Anis/ Journalist

K. N. Ramchandran/ Gen. Secy. CPI (M.L.-Red Star)

Kumar Sundaram/ Coalition for Nuclear Disarmament and Peace (CNDP), INDIA

Kuldip Kumar/ Journalist

Kishan Kaljayee/ Poet

Kamal Nayan Kabra/ Economist

Krishna Pratap Singh/ Journalist

Kumar Rajesh/ Journalist

Kaushal Kishor/ Poet, Cultural Activist

Kamta Prasad/ Translator

Kumar Narendra Singh/ Journalist

Mangalesh Dabral/ Poet, Journalist

Manoranjan Mohanty/ Former Prof. Delhi University

Musarraf Ali/ Journalist

Mallika Shakya/ South Asian University

Moinuddin Ahmad

Meher Engineer/ Political Commentator

Madan Mohan/ Novelist

Mohini Bhoj/ Poetess

Mahendra Pratap/ Lecturer

Manoj Kumar Singh/ Journalist

Manoj Pandey/ Poet

Nityanand Gayen/ Poet

Nirmalangshu Mukherji/ Academician

Neelabh/ Poet, Journalist

Prashant Tandon/ Journalist

Peeyush Pant/ Journalist

Panini Anand/ Journalist, Cultural activist

Palash Biswas/ Journalist

Pranav Priydarshi/ Journalist

Pankaj Singh/ Poet, Journalist

Pankaj Srivastava/ Journalist

Pramod Mallik/ Journalist

Pankaj Bisht/ Novelist, Editor ‘Samyaantar’

Qurban Ali/ Journalist

Raghu Thakur/ President, Loktantrik Samajvadi Party

Rahul Pandita/ Journalist. Yale World Fellow

Reyaz-Ul-Haq/ Journalist, ‘Haashiya’

Rajendra Sail/ Social Activist

Ramu Siddharth/ Journalist

Ram Shiromani/ Journalist

Ravi Hemadri

Ravinder Goel/ Lecturer, Activist

Rabin Chakraborty/ Weekly Frontier

Ramji Rai/ Editor ‘Samkaleen Janmat’

Ranjit Verma/ Poet

Ramendra Tripathi/ Former Civil Service

S. Sudhakar Reddy/ Gen. Secy., Communist Party of India

Swapan Mukherji/ Polit Bureau Member, CPI-M.L (Liberation)

Shivmangal Siddhantkar/ Gen. Secy., CPI-M.L.(New Proletarian)

Shiv Joshi/ Social Activist

Seema Azad/ Political activist, Dastak magazine

Sandeep Rauji/ Journalist

Shekhar Pathak/ Historian, PAHAD

Shahnaaz Imrani

S. R. Darapuri/ Dalit thinker

Shamshul Islam/ Cultural Activist

Sudhendu Patel/ Social Activist

Shastri Ramchandran/ Author, Journalist

Suvrat Raju/ Scientist

Tanveer Alam/ Academician

Ujjawal Bhattacharya/ Poet, Journalist

Vishnu Khare/ Poet, Critic

Vijay Singh/ Editor ‘Revolutionary Democracy’

Virendra Yadav/ writer

Vineet Tewari/ Gen. Secy., Madhya Pradesh Progressive Writers Association

Vishnu Nagar/ Poet, Journalist

Vidya Bhushan Rawat/ Social Activist

Willy D’costa/ Social Activist

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