The Indian Embassy in Kathmandu on Wednesday distanced itself from BJP vice president Renu Devi’s remarks against ethnicity-based federalism in the Himalayan country.
“The Embassy is not aware of the veracity of these statements,” the Embassy said in a statement. “However, in the event that the statements as reported in the media were made, they are Ms. Renu Devi’s own views and in no way do they reflect the policy of the Government of India.”
During an interaction programme in Kathmandu on Tuesday, the BJP vice president said that Nepal would disintegrate if it adopted ethnicity-based federalism. She went on to add that federalism based on ethnicity was against the spirit of unity, peace and development of Nepal.
Ms. Devi had been referring to demands by some Janajati groups which want states carved on the basis of single ethnicity, a proposition opposed by the ruling parties, the Nepali Congress and the CPN-UML. The main Opposition, the UCPN (Maoist), had been giving mixed opinion on the subject. While their Chairman, Pushpa Kamal Dahal a.k.a. Prachanda, had stressed that they were in favour of states carved and named after multiple identity, the party’s senior leader, Dr. Baburam Bhattarai, has expressed support for ethnicity-based federalism.
