Question

Prepare a case study on second democracy movement in Nepal.

Answer 1

2006 democracy movement in Nepal. The 2006Democracy Movement (Nepali: लोकतन्त्र आन्दोलन, translit. Loktantra Āndolan) is a name given to the political agitations against the direct and undemocratic rule of King Gyanendra of Nepal.

Answer 2

Exclusion of almost all groups, other than
the hill-dwelling Hindu upper-castes, from
the political and legal structures in Nepal was
a key cause of all three of Nepal’s conflicts and
associated “People’s Movements” (1950, 1990,
and 2006). A Hindu nation-state since 1779,
largely ruled by a series of autocracies and
oligarchies until the abolition of the monarchy
in 2008, the fight for multi-party democracy
was a defining feature of the People’s
Movements and their associated conflicts in
Nepal. Indeed, the Maoist insurgency during
the Nepalese civil war (1996–2006) aimed to
abolish the monarchy and transform Nepal
into a secular inclusive democratic republic
(Khatiwada 2014; Mabuhang 2015; Neelakantan,
Ramsbotham and Thapa 2016).
Issues relating to: the socio-economic, civil
and political exclusion of and discrimination
against women; Madhesi (caste-based Hindus
and Muslims in the Tarai [plains] of Nepal);
Janajati (ethnic nationalities outside the Hindu
caste system); Tharu (indigenous peoples of the
Tarai); and Dalits (Hindu caste “untouchables”)
have been key ignition points for conflicts
in Nepal since the 1950s. In particular, there
was a clear link between the exclusion of
groups and the Nepalese Civil War (1996–
2006): the Maoists adopted these groups’
individual grievances, transformed them into
collective grievances against the regime, and
thereby succeeded in recruiting marginalised
groups to their cause and their fighting forces
(Khatiwada 2014; Mabuhang 2015; Neelakantan,
Ramsbotham and Thapa 2016).