In China shadow, Nepal PM on 4-day India visit to seek reset in bilateral relations
photo credit @PM_Nepal
By Manish Anand
New Delhi, May 29: On his fourth visit to India as the prime minister of Nepal, Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ is under considerable pressure within his country to seek better terms with New Delhi in the bilateral relations even while New Delhi keeps a wary eye on Chinese activities in Kathmandu.
The Nepalese media is buzzing with anticipation over Dahal’s four-day visit to India, beginning Tuesday, during which he will also visit Ujjain and Indore in Madhya Pradesh. His visit begins on a positive note, as Nepal has begun selling electricity to India, while within the Nepalese parliament there is a growing demand from New Delhi to allow Kathmandu to trade with Bangladesh by using the Indian transit facilities.
“India Nepal relations are extremely important and both sides at the highest levels have to respect the civilisational heritage of our peoples and continue to build bridges of friendship and mutual trust notwithstanding some differences over short term monetary gains and geo-economic games played by other neighbors and other countries,” Shashank, India’s former foreign secretary, told The Raisina Hills.
While the Nepalese media has largely ignored the fact that India has taken two ambitious projects under the PM Gati Shakti, lining eastern Uttar Pradesh and districts of Bihar bordering with Nepal, which will eventually make it possible for Kathmandu to access the Kolkata port facilities to trade with Bangladesh and other east Asian countries.
Dahal’s visit to India is his first foreign trip after becoming the prime minister in a dramatic fashion last year when he joined hands with the Communist and smaller parties to form the government. India has been closely following the political developments in Nepal amid fast changing geostrategic situations, with the western world growing wary of China’s deep influence in South Asia. The US too has deepened its diplomatic outreach with Nepal in the last 18 months with an eye to counter China in the Himalayan nation.
“The world is facing a serious challenge of high indebtedness and conflicts in the most developed countries which affects seriously the stability and security of the smaller and poorer countries. We should cooperate by keeping in mind these challenges. Finally, the emerging conflict between USA and China should guide us to strengthen our mutual security and supply chains and infrastructure,” added Shashank.
Significantly, the ambitious rail project being pushed by China to connect with Kathmandu remains on paper despite Beijing pushing it hard. When Dahal holds talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India may check the Nepalese interest in taking up the rail connectivity between Kathmandu and Raxaul in Bihar. If the project is completed, India and Nepal may gain from reliable infrastructure for the faster movement of goods and the people.
However, rivals of Dahal in the Nepalese parliament have stepped up pressure on him to strongly argue the case of the country on the “land dispute” issues, with his predecessor K P Sharma ‘Oli’ calling for resolution of Kalapani, Lipulekh and Limpiyadhura land dispute with India.
Interestingly, leading dailies of Nepal such as Kathmandu Post have been running editorials to argue the case for the release of the report of the Eminent Citizens Group (ECG), which consisted of the representations from both countries, for a revision of the India-Nepal Friendship Treaty of 1950.
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