Prickly issues were left untouched
and
irrelevant matters, such as projects that have been discussed but not implemented
for the last two decades, were highlighted during the'Nepalese Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal's (aka Prachanda) visit to India. However, India was able to secure Nepal's support for its bid for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council. Prime Minister
Modi has welcomed the establishment of the
National Reconstruction Authority (NRA)
in Nepal but he was silent on the new
Constitution. The joint statement shows that Nepal-India ties are as they were
in Sep 2015 when the new Constitution was promulgated.
Prachanda has lost an opportunity to establish a new kind of relationship with China by hosting Chinese President Xi Jinping. Xi was willing to come to Nepal after seeing the prospect of having Nepal on board the One Belt, One Road (OBOR) project. However, with no possibility of Dahal signing such an MoU, Xi has dropped his plans
to visit Nepal in
Oct. India was aware of China's plan, which
is why it went above and beyond to
alter the course of Nepali politics by having Dahal in the prime minister's seat with the NC's support.
India is moving ahead
strategically to work in Nepal through the Sher Bahadur Deuba-led NC for the next few years as there are trusted
candidates such as Bimalendra Nidhi in it. Another alternative force for India is the newly launched Naya Shakti. Since Naya Shakti is too small to ensure Indian
interests, it will have to keep the
Oliled UML under pressure.
New Delhi is acutely conscious of Prachanda's challenges: a
potentially shaky tenure in office given his coalition's narrow majority, the difficulty in building a two-thirds consensus for the
constitutional amendments he has committed to, as well as the massive task of reconstruction
after the Apr 2015 earthquake. As a
result, it didn't force him to
commit on a timeline for amendments demanded
by Madhesi and 'other groups that
feel marginalised by the new
Constitution. Dahal's visit came in
the backdrop of a previously strained
India-Nepal ties following the
months-long blockade of border trade
points by Madhesis who share strong
cultural and family bonds with
Indians — over the new Constitution.
The Madhesi people allege that the
Constitution is discriminatory to
their interest and marginalises them
politically.
The joint statement referred to Modi welcoming "the
ongoing efforts of the Govt of Nepal to take
all sections of the society on board
for effective implementation of the Constitution," but it didn't mention the word amendment. India
instead focused on delivering on its own promises to Nepal, including
hydropower and highways infrastructure projects. This shows a maturing of New Delhi's position.Subscribe now "Mock test for jee advanced
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