india nepal relation

 The Prime Ministers of India and Nepal, who were in power when bilateral ties collapsed, must rebuild trust as they are back in power once again 

adoption of the new Constitution by Nepal’s Constituent Assembly 

The bilateral turbulence started with adoption of the new Constitution by Nepal’s Constituent Assembly in 2015, which New Delhi had wanted reworked.

 Some politicians seem to have made promises to Mr. Modi in their New Delhi visits, but in the end they promulgated the draft unamended.

pointing the finger at Madhesi activists of the Tarai plains

New Delhi slapped a devastating blockade on Nepal that lasted nearly six months and generated enough bad blood to last a generation. 

Mr. Oli reacted sharply and on the rebound signed 10 agreements with Beijing, extending from trade, transit to power and transport.

 Delhi began fielding Hindutva advocates in the plains and hills. The Rashtraiya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) wanted to convert Nepal into their own image of India.

Power and prowess

start with policy corrections 

1 With his ‘Neighbourhood First’ initiative battered on all quadrants, Mr. Modi may want to start with policy corrections on Nepal as the nearest and closest neighbour.

2 against the principle of non-interference 

India’s relentless engagement with Nepal’s politics and governance goes against the principle of non-interference that is part of the Panchsheel doctrine.

 New Delhi should also understand that a hands-off / no interfare  policy will lead to a politically stable and economically energised Nepal, which will in turn benefit India’s own national security and the economy of its Hindi heartland.

Nepal and its imp[ortant 

 It is the seventh largest remittance-sending country to India, helping provide for livelihoods in its poorest parts, from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, all the way to Odisha.

Playing the system

Pushpa Kamal Dahal 

Nepal’s political leadership worst dip came in the just-ended prime ministerial run of Pushpa Kamal Dahal (‘Prachanda’), the Maoist chieftain, who early on had disclosed his wish to be “comfortable” for New Delhi.

 During the trip, he failed to raise 

• each and every pending bilateral matter, 
• 
  
• including air routes for Nepal’s stillborn international airports at Bhairahawa and Pokhara, 
• 
  
• the festering territorial dispute over Limpiyadhura-Kalapani,
• 
  
•  and a report of the Eminent Persons’ Group (EPG) collecting dust. 
• 
  

To please the RSS, he and his entourage shed their official attire to don saffron robes at the Mahakaleshwar Temple in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh.

Mr. Dahal concluded a power trade agreement 

that allows New Delhi to refuse import from hydel plants built with Chinese loans or Chinese contractors under international bidding. 

He has allowed the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu 

to independently disburse grants of up to Nepal rupees 20 crore, a facility not available to any other embassy.

Mr. Oli 

takes over the reins in Kathmandu, he must discard the lethal diffidence of his predecessor, standing up for Nepal and speaking for South Asia. 

All bilateral matters that are hanging fire must be brought confidently to the table for airing and resolution. 

He must also convince Mr. Modi of the importance of reviving the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, for the sake of a South Asia that holds a fourth of the global population.

can we replace china 

New Delhi must understand that while Nepal’s friendship with Beijing is non-negotiable, it will never be at the cost of India. Nepal cannot afford for it to be otherwise. Meanwhile, it is incongruous that New Delhi pressures Kathmandu on China-linked hydropower, airports and airlines even as China emerges as India’s largest trading partner.

eight-member India-Nepal Eminent Persons’ Group 

 

It was Mr. Modi and Mr. Oli who together nominated the eight-member India-Nepal Eminent Persons’ Group back in 2017.

 The team finalised its consensus report , whose implementation is expected to lift bilateral relations towards a transparent, confident and equal partnership. 

A South Asia at peace

In fact, it is Nepal which has suffered, with the Maoists using shelters across the unregulated frontier during their decade of insurrection against the Nepali state.

 Every summer, the Indian media goes to town about Nepal ‘releasing’ monsoon waters into the Ganga plain, but there are no significant storage dams in Nepal and the two barrages on the Gandaki and Kosi are controlled by New Delhi.

‘Nepal studies’ does not exist as an academic discipline in India

which is one reason Indian citizens think of Nepal as a poor, ungrateful and even malevolent neighbour. 

It is Kathmandu’s job to reach out, erase misconceptions and suggest possibilities. Exasperated Nepalis would like to see India convert from the ‘big brother’ avatar to simply being ‘brother’. New Delhi’s policymakers can do their part by accepting that Nepal is, after all, a separate country. 

source the hindu