A senior Nepali diplomat based in Kolkata, rather uncharacteristically, issued a veiled threat to India on Friday, stating that his country “would not hesitate to update the bigger powers in the region about the situation” if Delhi kept mounting pressure on Kathmandu.
He was responding to a question about the present imbroglio related to the drafting of the country’s Constitution. The diplomat’s allusion to China, in language couched in diplomatic jargon, is an obvious warning to India.
In a one-to-one conversation with The Hindu, the diplomat, who spoke on strict condition of anonymity, said that the country’s ruling class was “exceptionally united” in spite of differences among a wide spectrum of political parties.
Perhaps this is the first time that a Nepali diplomat has used such strong language against India, at the same time hinting at the possibility of his country sending feelers to the super power in the region, China. Interestingly, even Indian policy framers agree that Nepal has reasons to be upset with India.
The diplomat, who has spent quite a long time in Kolkata, said that the relations between the two countries were deteriorating “by the hour” as Delhi was showing “no remorse.”
“It was only a few months back that India was so much respected for its role in earthquake-related relief and rehabilitation in Nepal. But now, Indian [television] channels are spontaneously blacked out, the effigy of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is burnt in public, and no one from India is welcome in the country,” the diplomat said. “I personally am so fond of India, and so many of us are so fond of India. In so many ways, we are so dependent on India, and the relationship between the countries was so smooth and cordial. I really wonder who provoked India to turn it into a foreign policy nightmare for no reason at all,” he regretted.
The problem started on September 20 when the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) issued a lukewarm response to the promulgation of “a Constitution”, which was negotiated for nearly a decade. According to news reports in both the countries, Delhi proposed that the Madhesis, who constitute one-third of Nepal’s population, be accorded full citizenship and representation in the government and the security establishment.
Nepal refused to accept the proposal, arguing that “naturalised citizens” were not allowed to head the government or security establishments. Eventually, the supply of goods from India to Nepal, including household items and fuel, was stopped. It is unclear if the movement of goods was officially stopped by India or by transporters owing to the disturbances on the border.
“India has chosen to speak for one community [Madhesis] and for seven or eight districts of Nepal, when the country has 75. Will you accept it if the United States chooses to speak to Bengalis or Tamils only, and only interact with one or two States of the country?” the diplomat asked. “We feel India should have had a comprehensive Nepal policy, rather than a ‘Madheshi only’ policy. It cannot be acceptable to any sovereign country, and so, it is not acceptable to us,” he said.
Without naming China, he reiterated twice that India was “creating space for someone else” in the region by intervening in his country’s Constitution drafting process. An overwhelming majority in Nepal’s Parliament — the members of the Constituent Assembly — drafted the country’s Constitution last month.
Even Indian experts, who monitor the neighbourhood from Kolkata, said that instead of intervening in Nepal’s policy-framing, India should have “encouraged” that country to successfully complete the democratic process.
“Nepal is a sovereign state, and it deserves appreciation for the success in consolidating the democratic policies and processes. Their Constitution has been framed after extensive consultations and has been a pretty long-drawn-out affair, leveraging global experience. Frankly, we in South Asia should applaud their decision of proportional representation and reservation of 33% seats for women in Parliament,” said Ashok Dhar, Director of Observer Research Foundation, Kolkata.
Academics, traders and policy experts, who attended a discussion on the subject earlier this week, unanimously said that India should lift the embargo, if any, on transportation of goods and “work overtime to restore normal diplomatic relationship” with Nepal at the earliest.
Kathmandu may talk to ‘super power in the region’ if pressure by Delhi continues
