Bitchslapping aside, since you invited a serious debate, here are my thoughts.

Re this issue, what needs to be understood are the underlying causes behind the demand of an ethnicity based federalism.

I realize there could be many Newars who do not care about a Newa Pradesh because either they are already well off than many of their brethrens or do not understand the issue well. It could also be true that many of them do not want to dwell on this issue considering it be a sensitive one which could easily spark an emotional debate. I also know a few Limbus who do not care about the Limbuwan, and --for the same reason,  Tamangs for Tamsaling, Tharus for Tharuhaat, Magars for Magarat, Gurungs for Tamuwan, and so on.

With the dawn of a republic and with it, newly charged spreading conscious and awakening in Nepal, everyone has the right to want to live with dignity and right to self determination.

We all agree on that, haina?

If you look at the current situation with composition of bureaucracy, judiciary and army, many of the ethnic groups, particularly the marginalized ones, do not see their future with the status quo or merely cosmetic changes in the government system. It requires a radical change in overall form of government. Hence, the demand of local self government.  

The successive so called reforms in 2037 and 2046 did not bring the promised qualitative changes in the lives of the most ethnic groups. A few castes continued to be dominant in all aspects of governance.

If you do not want to look further, take the example of Nepal Embassy in Washington DC and Nepali Mission in New York. Why only the people belonging to one caste rule the roost from top to bottom? A fair minded Nepali will and must ask these questions, "Are there no other people in Nepal to represent our  Mission abroad other than one or two particular castes? Did the government not prepare preople from other groups as well to represent their country in a Nepali Mission abroad even after so many years of so called democracy?. Therein lies a key part of the answer to those who question on the need for an ethnicity based federal system. 

One should remember that the seed of the division and discontentment was sown by no other than Prithvi Narayan Shah himself when he stressed the four jaat policy. No matter how much a modern day apologist wants to claim to mean it as 32 jaat instead of barna, the fact remains that only four jaats have been served well with Prithvi Narayan’s such divisive policy, and thus neglecting others having a long term ramifications on the country's composition. His “baaise-choubise” policy, often praised by the benefactors and blind worshippers, also alienated a good number of groups in different parts of the country who had already a established kingdoms of their own.

Those Nepalis who migrated to US and western countries and enjoy the freedom and are, or pretend to be, advocates of human rights and of equal rights and opportunity should also feel ashamed of continuing practices of untouchability in their country of origin, and also the way many of the ethnic groups are continually sidelined and marginalized from the mainstream. Big talk is easy and cheap. If one got to a western country by jumping several steps up a ladder or because one’s parents or relatives happen to be influential or even your last name helped you, it is hard for them to think how difficult it is to move through the bureaucracy or any part of the government when your last name (jaat, thar) is not similar to those sitting in a government office.

Needless to say, I belong to a marginalized ethnic group and thus I understand the pain –having myself been a sufferer on the receiving end. Also needless to say that I do not want to see the country further divided, both geographically or emotionally. The government of the day, or even earlier governments in the past several decades, made no appreciable attempts to integrate the ethnic groups into the mainstream. The so called creamy layer group, belonging to a handful of castes, continues to sit there and milk the government cow to the extent of the last drop. The madhesi groups are going to make their demands fulfilled simply by their number of representatives in the parliament.

I can only say that there is lot more danger to dividing the country by not fulfilling the demands of marginalized ethnic groups than from an ethnicity based federalism. Because these marginalized groups have been deceived several times by empty promises in the past, there is every likelihood that they will be left behind again. Therefore, the answer therefore lies in the demand for an ethnicity based federalism.

Now back to educated people supporting an ethnicity based federalism, many actually believe that the model of local self government would work better to fulfill the aspirations of the people if it is sincerely and diligently planned and implemented. Otherwise, it is going nothing more than an old wine in new a bottle labeled “Ganatantrik Panchayati Bewasta”.

However, if there is an alternative way to fulfilling the genuine demands of the marginalized groups that will truly begin the process of integrating them into the mainstream, let us talk about it. Dividing the country by geographic areas on the basis of developmental won’t work as it will be no different from Birendra’s developmental zones. There are also those politicians, and academicians, and also in the administration, judiciary and in the army who fear that a self governing province will end their monopoly in the system and thus bent on opposing it by creating fears of the country being divided. These fear mongers are shouting out loud from their rooftops as they know that their time has come to end their monopolistic way. They must give in to a republican state.

Let it be known that the people are wary and tired of the tactics like empty promises and leap services and they won’t work anymore. The new slogan of new Nepal should be “samridha pradesh, sushasit desh, sukhi janata . Jai Nepal .