First day at his job, Vice Prez Jha sparks protests after
swearing in Hindi
There were minor demonstrations across the country against
the newly elected Vice President Parmananda Jha for taking
oath of office and secrecy in Hindi language during the
President and Vice-Presidential swearing in ceremony at
Shital Niwas Wednesday.
Student organisations affiliated with different parties
staged demonstrations in various parts of the capital
Thursday against Vice President Jha taking the oath of
office in a "foreign language". They demanded that VP Jha
publicly apologise for this.
Similarly, locals of Gajuri in Dhading district barred
vehicles from plying on the road by imposing
transportation strike Thursday. They were apparently
enraged by Vice President Jha taking oath in Hindi.
They also said that this was a matter of grave concern
which has put at risk the sovereignty of the country.
Likewise, Chure Bhawar Ekata Samaj, a party which claims
to work for the people of hilly origin living in the
Terai, also obstructed traffic for more than an hour in
the East-West highway passing through Saptari district.
The transportation strike had caused a long traffic snarl
in the highway, causing a great problem for passengers.
In Butwal also local youths chanted slogans against the
newly elected VP and blocked traffic in the major roads
and intersections. There were reports of protests in
Makwanpur, Rupandehi, Nawalparasi, Dadelhura and Tahahun
also.
President Dr Ram Baran Yadav, clad in the national custom,
had taken the oath of office and secrecy in Nepali.
However, when he administered the oath of office to his
deputy Jha, who was clad in a dress many identify with
Indian parliamentarians, the latter preferred to take it
in Hindi, raising eyebrows among the high-level
dignitaries and political leaders present there.
According to an independent statistics, only 0.05 percent
of people living in Terai speak Hindi. The majority of the
people there speak Bhojpuri, Maithali, Avadhi and other
local dialects. However, Madhesi leaders prefer to mostly
speak in Hindi during the parliamentary proceedings saying
that it is a "lingua franca" in Terai. nepalnews.com July 24 08
Related News
- President Yadav, VP Jha sworn in 
