Difficulty: Medium
Correct Answer: Nepal
Explanation:
Introduction / Context:
The Madhesi People's Rights Forum (MPRF) is a political group that emerged to represent the interests of the Madhesi population in the Terai region. Their demands focused on representation, federal restructuring, and recognition of rights. A 22 point agreement signed between this forum and the national government became an important milestone in peace and constitutional processes in South Asia. This question checks your awareness of which country entered into that agreement with the MPRF.
Given Data / Assumptions:
Concept / Approach:
The key concept here is to associate the Madhesi movement with the correct national context. The Madhesi population is concentrated in the Terai plains of Nepal, and their political struggle is tied to Nepalese constitutional restructuring. Therefore, the government that signed the 22 point agreement is the Government of Nepal, not India or other neighbouring states. Remembering that the Madhesi issue is primarily a Nepal based political question is the central step in solving this item.
Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Identify the Madhesi People's Rights Forum as a political actor associated with the Terai region.
Step 2: Recall that the Terai region lies in southern Nepal and borders northern India.
Step 3: Connect the Madhesi demands for constitutional changes and representation with negotiations conducted by the Government of Nepal.
Step 4: Evaluate the options and recognise that only Nepal matches the political setting where this 22 point agreement was signed.
Step 5: Choose “Nepal” as the correct answer.
Verification / Alternative check:
You can verify this by recalling news and political developments following the end of the monarchy in Nepal and the drafting of a new constitution. Reports regularly mentioned negotiations between the Government of Nepal and Madhesi groups, including the Madhesi People's Rights Forum. No similar 22 point agreement is associated with India, China, Bangladesh, or Sri Lanka in this context. This confirms that the agreement specifically involved Nepal and the MPRF.
Why Other Options Are Wrong:
India: India shares a border with the Madhesi region, but the Madhesi movement is directed at the Nepalese state and its constitution, not at India.
China: China is not the country of residence for the Madhesi population and has no such 22 point agreement with the MPRF.
Bangladesh: The politics of Bangladesh do not involve the Madhesi issue; this is specific to Nepal.
Sri Lanka: Sri Lanka has its own ethnic and constitutional questions but they are unrelated to the Madhesi movement and the 22 point agreement mentioned here.
Common Pitfalls:
Students sometimes confuse cross border ethnic ties and assume that if a group is near India, the agreement must involve the Indian government. Another error is to broadly guess any South Asian country without linking the name of the movement to a specific geography. Always anchor movements such as Madhesi, Gorkha, or Bodo to their actual national context before answering.
Final Answer:
The 22 point agreement with the Madhesi People's Rights Forum was signed by the government of Nepal.
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