Medicaid fraud allegations must not scapegoat resettled Nepali-speaking Bhutanese in Nepal's discourse.

Recent allegations of Medicaid fraud in Ohio, involving individuals linked to the resettled Bhutanese community, have surfaced an old debate in Nepal: who qualifies as Nepali and who is excluded when identity becomes a matter of convenience. Ohio, home to over 40,000 resettled Bhutanese refugees, has become the latest stage for this recurring conversation.

There is a discernible pattern in how Nepali-speaking Bhutanese are treated in Nepal's public discourse. For years, many have been welcomed into the idea of a global Nepali family, celebrated for singing Nepali songs, observing Dashain, or expressing deep affection for Nepal. However, when allegations of fraud emerged, this cultural closeness abruptly became inconvenient, prompting a swift dissociation and declarations of "They are not Nepalis."

This reflexive pattern often leads to the Bhutanese community being blamed for the actions of a few, not based on evidence, but because their vulnerabilities make them an easy target. Individual allegations transform into a "Bhutanese fraud problem," as if criminal liability can be imposed on an entire displaced population. Opportunists exploit this by selectively offering solidarity, sometimes referencing the fake Bhutanese refugee scandal in Nepal as supposed proof of deception.

Invoking the fake refugee scandal against the very community whose identity was stolen in it is not only illogical but compounds injustice. The Nepali language and traditions are treated as suspicious tools of deception, a cruel inversion of history. These Nepali-speaking Bhutanese were forcibly displaced for upholding the language, dress, and ancestry that Bhutan's regime deemed threats to national purity. Their language was banned, their public identity criminalized, and their belonging questioned for refusing cultural uniformity. To suggest their cultural expressions are a calculated camouflage for criminal behavior is a profound misrepresentation of their history.