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Dalits and Federalism - A Study of Public Opinion on Federalism

Dalit movement, along with Janajati and Madhesi movements, has been a major force in political and social transformation in Nepal since 1990. Federalism, one of the demands of such transformations, has become a contentious issue for Dalits. Dalit leaders had initially mostly been centered on ensuring proportional representation in central and local governments, along with special rights as a compensation for their historical oppression (Bhattachan 2008). However, after the Peoples’ Movement of 2006, with Janajatis and Madhesis demanding provinces along ethnic and regional lines, Dalit leaders and scholars began to discuss the relevance of federalism for Dalits as well as possibility of their own Dalit province. This issue climaxed with State Restructuring High Commission Report suggesting provision of a non-territorial province for Dalits.But is a Dalit province, or federalism, needed for Dalits? Is the issue of federalism and Dalit province an aspiration, or a concern, of common Dalits? Or is it just an interest of Dalit leaders and elites? This paper tries to analyse public opinion of Dalits, based on a survey of public opinion in two VDCs of Nepal, on the various issues related to federalism, including aspirations of Dalits in the proposed constitution and perceptions of Dalits on successive political movements and government provisions for Dalits since 1990.