Maoist leader and Law and Justice Minister Dev Gurung on Saturday said that the nation may disintegrate if the Nepalis misunderstand and can’t utilize the concept of federalism accurately.
Speaking at the opening ceremony organized on the occasion of the fourth Kathmandu district convention of the Maoist-affiliated Newa National Liberation Front (NNLF), Minister Gurung said that the 240-year monarchist rule based on feudal foundations suppressed all indigenous multi-ethnic communities. He warned that the same forces have been trying to spoil the concept of federalism by gearing it towards rightism and racism.
Minister Gurung also urged people to remain cautious against the reactionary efforts of disintegrating Nepal by creating petty wars throughout the country. He emphasized on the Maoists’ effort to let the valley’s Newar community run autonomy.
Speaking at the program, Prof. Manik Lal Shrestha suggested the Newars of the Kathmandu valley to go ahead with their unity for the acquisition of the autonomous Newar governance within the Kathmandu vallley from where the majority of Nepal’s historical Newar community originated.
Another Newar civil society figure and journalist Malla K. Sundar said that the Unified Communist Party of Nepal (UCPN)—Maoist—was the only force capable of raising an accurate Newar movement in Nepal. He cited examples of how other parties failed to genuinely represent the Newars.
Progressive musical and dance presentations were also offered at the program.
Earlier, the Newars from different localities and villages in Kathmandu district had rallied around the city along with their traditional music and wears before gathering at Basantapur for the mass meeting.
Newars, the original and historical community in the Kathmandu valley, are very rich in culture, arts and food. Due to excessive in-migration from the Hills and the Terai and the immigration from India, their language and culture have been extremely endangered now. Although a substantial portion of the community have accepted the globalization trends facilitated by the modern mass media, they have also shown their desire to preserve their original culture.
The Newar community in Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur, the three di