Thousands of Newa people have staged a rally in Nepali capital and announced a separate Newa Autonomous State comprising the Kathmandu Valley and surrounding districts.

 According to Sunday's The Kathmandu Post, the Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) (UCPN-M) had on Dec. 16, declared the Newa Autonomous State amid confusion and controversy over the border of the state.

Representatives of the Joint Newa Struggle Committee (JNSC), the rally organizer, maintained that the earlier declaration had " failed to include them".

 The JNSC said the state would comprise three districts of the valley along with Kavre district and some regions of Dolakha district.

The struggle committee claimed it enjoys support of the major parties, including the Nepali Congress, UCPN-M, the Communist Party Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist and 31 different ethnic associations and organizations.