interesting discussion. lazy wally, would you happen to know the breakdown of nepal's poplulation by group? you show there are quite a few (rouhgly 10-20%) madeshis in positions of power. that seems like a lot, compared to other ethnic groups like sherpas, kirats, majhis, etc. so if you could state the overall % of madeshis in nepal, that would help buttress your argument further. there is discrimination no doubt. but is it ethnicity-based, or socio-economic status based? a rich madhesi businessman would command a lot more respect and influence than a poor madhesi villager. now if this discrimination is culturally driven, it's gonna take some time. my personal belief is that such cultural barriers will be less of an obstacle going forward tho. however, if the discrimination is somehow embedded in the machinery of the system, it (the system) needs to be changed, not only for madhesis but for all oppressed groups. would something like affirmative action (e.g. african american, lower caste indian admissions to colleges) be the ansewr? having seen how the rich black kids get into top colleges thanks to affirmative action, i have my reservations. the broader question is: what is the solution? shoudl a quota system for public offices replace the merit based system (e.g. lok sabha exams)? anyway, it does seem like paramendra bro is trying to cash in on the momentum and public sentiment. he realizes that his core constituency will alwasy be the madhesi group (mind you, even within the madhesis, there is a LOT of discrimination amongst the various sub groups, so a bit of hypocracy here). therefore, teh only way he can ever reach a position of power is through their support, and the best way to ensure this is by getting their voices heard.