New Delhi: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will travel to Nepal on Thursday to reset relations with Kathmandu, which have been strained for some time. The 2-day visit comes just before the formation of the new Left government, which is perceived to have a pro-China tilt.
But just a few days ahead of the visit, KP Sharma Oli, the man touted to be the Prime Minister once again, gave the ties a boost by expressing his willingness to work with New Delhi.
In his last term, Oli had accused India of being behind his political downfall, causing a dent in the relations. As a result there was a much diplomatic angst and the then Nepalese envoy to India, Deep Kumar Upadhyay, had to be recalled. Nepalese President Bidhya Devi Bhandari’s first visit to India in May, 2016 was also called-off.
Indo-Nepal ties also witnessed a rough patch in 2015, when Kathmandu accused New Delhi of imposing a trade blockade on the border.
The Madhesi protests that led to a halt in movement of goods emerged after Nepal ratified the Constitution they claimed politically under-represented the people of the Terai (plains) region. In the 4-month long blockade, Nepal continuously blamed India for hardships being faced by its people for lack of essential supplies.
Through the protest, India maintained it had imposed no trade blockade and trucks could not cross over to Nepal due to the protests. As a result of the blockade, Nepal turned to China for its oil supply and Beijing tried to use the opportunity to chip away at the goodwill India enjoyed in Nepal.
China is trying to spread its influence in Nepal, and in September last year, the two nations had agreed to start technical work to build a cross-border railway link via Tibet.
The Left’s victory in the recent elections was also a cause of concern in India due to its political leanings. PM Modi had a telephonic conversation in December last year with both KP Oli and Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ of Communist Party of Nepal (UML) and (MC) as well as Sher Bahadur Deuba of Nepal Congress.
He congratulated all of them for ‘their successful participation’ in the recently conducted parliamentary and first-ever provincial elections in Nepal and added that India was committed to working with the incoming government.
As the Ministry of External Affairs announced Sushma Swaraj’s visit to Kathmandu it also mentioned that it will provide an opportunity to ‘advance age-old, special ties of friendship between India and Nepal’. She will be meeting leaders from various political outfits. The statement from MEA also highlighted how the visit is in keeping with the tradition of regular high-level political exchanges between India and Nepal.
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