My preference is for the federal provinces to be demarcated along development lines. Dr Harka Gurung also had similar views. Identity is one aspect of it, but equally important is the aspect of prosperity.

Inclusive development leads to prosperity. Even if you set up provinces on the basis of ethnic identity, its citizens will seek prosperity. The ingredients of prosperity are the natural resources and economic potential of each province. You may have identity but there needs to be rice on the plate.

Poorer provinces will be even more dependent on the centre and tensions will increase. Provinces based on the identity of one ethnic group could meet the grievances of one group, but it will leave the others high and dry. We shouldn't have more than eight provinces. It is not clear whether the CA committee is going to decide on provincial boundaries based on population density or majority.

Majority could mean different clusters of population. In the Tarai, the committee is looking at linguistic majority, designating provinces for groups with one per cent of the population.

But how about the Sherpas, they make up less than one per cent of the population and 20 per cent of them live in Kathmandu, another 20 per cent in Patan or Bhaktapur. Yet we are setting aside a Sherpa homeland from Rolwaling to Kimathangka. Some Tarai towns have larger populations than this. Total population has to be taken into account when demarcating provinces, but there is no scientific basis for the present provincial boundaries. The eastern district of Jhapa is 60 per cent pahadi, but it is in the Madhes.

The One Madhes demand is completely unscientific. The Madhes was never one, and can never be. The Tarai is not contiguous, it is broken in Dang and Chitwan, where the Inner Tarai Tharus live. Dividing the Madhes into two provinces may be a good idea. My proposal is for six provinces and 16 districts, and it was criticised for harking back to King Mahendra. But this would strengthen the economic bonds between the Tarai and Pahad, and make the country's economy stronger. You can't carve out a Madhes to compete with the Pahad and to hold it hostage.

Earlier, I used to also advocate moving the capital. That would be ideal if we were a rich country. But it's going to cost billions and billions of rupees and take 25 years. Better to implement real decentralisation of the economy away from Kathmandu, which should be promoted solely as a political capital with culture and tourism.