Nepal Federation of Indigenous Nationalities (NEFIN) on Friday staged sit-in program in front of Constituent Assembly (CA) building at Baneswor, Kathmandu putting demands to ensure federalism based on ethnic identity. NEFIN together with National Indigenous Women Federation (NIWF), Youth Federation of Indigenous Nationalities (YFIN) had organized the protest program.
The umbrella organization of Nepalese Indigenous Peoples' Organization staged protest program, a day after a completion of 3-days-long sit-in program organized by National Indigenous Peoples Movement-Nepal led by veteran Indigenous peoples' right activist Padma Ratna Tuladhar.
NEFIN and Tuladhar led National Indigenous Peoples Movement-Nepal had had written agreement to organize a nation-wide movement jointly but due to ideological differences, each organized protest independently.
Talking to the media, Chairperson of NEFIN, Nagendra Kumal said, NEFIN shall organize rigorous movement coordinating all indigenous peoples across Nepal, being an umbrella organization of all indigenous Peoples organization.
According to him, NEFIN has set to organize a dialogue program with leaders of major political parties representing CA and at the same time continue its sit-in program until January 22, the date CA slated to unveil the draft constitution.
The indigenous leaders have been expressing their concerns stating that such divided movement is likely to weaken the indigenous peoples' movement. Indigenous leaders together with Tuladhar had formed National Indigenous Peoples Movement-Nepal and had been organizing a regular protest program citing NEFIN not being able to organize the Indigenous Peoples movement in a coordinated way. NEFIN however reiterated that it is able to mobilize indigenous peoples across the country and stand for their rights.
