KATHMANDU: Following widespread protests, the Madhesh provincial government has decided to withdraw Bill 2025, which proposed provisions regarding official languages.
The bill initially sought to include Maithili, Bhojpuri, Bajjika, Hindi, and English as official working languages alongside Nepali.
Education and Culture Minister Rani Sharma Tiwari, speaking in the provincial assembly on Friday, proposed the bill’s withdrawal, acknowledging an error in its original form.
She expressed that the Tharu language should have been included, a suggestion she felt could have been addressed by the Law Ministry.
Minister Tiwari highlighted her right to correct the bill in the house, stating that the inclusion of Tharu would have been more appropriate.
The bill faced intense opposition, with protests from ruling and opposition MPs as well as demonstrations by Tharu and Mahagi speakers outside the provincial assembly.
These groups, along with Tharu community organizations, demanded the bill’s withdrawal and called for the inclusion of the Tharu language as an official working language.
The government, under increasing pressure, decided to withdraw the bill after a meeting of the Council of Ministers today.
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