It is not erroneous to suggest that Prime Minister Modi and his government have used diplomacy as a vehicle to unshackle India's image from its long-standing image as an emerging middle power with "untapped potentials".
The 'New India' is more assertive and hence both the neighbours, India and Nepal have to navigate the future hand in hand. They have to do so on shared values and civilisational spirit and also based on strategic interests. Good ties have to be based on mutual trust and confidence.
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| Prachanda and Modi |
The productive discussions held during the visit helped to widen the understanding between both countries and perspective on the wide range of bilateral agenda and gave a robust direction to take forward the deep-rooted partnership.
New Delhi has of course pumped in billions of dollars in aid and investment into Nepal and so has China. Nepal has a strategic significant geographical location in South Asia and is also rich in potential to generate hydroelectric power.
When Pushpa Kamal Dahal or Prachanda took over as Nepalese Prime Minister in December 2022, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, "The unique relationship between India and Nepal is based on deep cultural connect & warm people-to-people ties". "I look forward to working together with you (in reference to Prachanda) to further strengthen this friendship," Modi tweeted.
Box:
The seven agreements that were signed include
- the Nepal-India Transit Treaty;
- an MoU regarding the construction of petroleum infrastructure;
- MoU relating to the Dodhara-Chadani Integrated check post and Dry Port;
-MoU of Fukot-Karnali 480 MW hydropower project development; 669 MW Lower Arun Hydropower
Development Project Agreement;
- MoU relating to trans-national electronic payment between National Clearing House Ltd. and
Nepal and National Payment Company Ltd. India and
- and an MoU between Foreign Affairs Study Academy of Nepal and Sushma Swaraj Foreign Service Institution, India.
Six projects inaugurated during Prachanda’s visit include:
- Handing over of the Kurtha-Bijalpur railway line;
- Operation of the cargo railway between Jogbani in India and Biratnagar in Nepal;
- Laying the foundation of Bhairahawa- Sunauli integrated checkpost;
- Inauguration of Nepalgunj- Rupaidiha integrated checkpost.
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| Modi at Lumbini: May 2022 |
Pushpa Kamal Dahal or Prachanda became new Prime Minister of Nepal in December 2022
after he decided to ally with the CPN-UML leader KP Sharma Oli -- a well pro-China leader and under whose stint ties between India and Nepal had come under some strains.
Ties between the two countries came under severe strain after Kathmandu published a new political map
that showed the three Indian territories -- Limpiyadhura, Kalapani and Lipulekh -- as part of Nepal.
"This artificial enlargement of claims is not based on historical fact or evidence and is not tenable," the then MEA
spokesman Anurag Srivastava had said in Delhi.
Prachanda is hardly new to power games and diplomacy. Lately he made his fourth visit to India
as Nepalese Prime Minister and held detailed discussions with Indian counterpart Narendra Modi on multiple
and key issues.
"The visit continues the tradition of regular high level exchanges between India and Nepal in furtherance of our ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy. The bilateral relations between the two countries have significantly strengthened in the last few years in all areas of cooperation. This visit underscores the importance given by both sides in adding further momentum to the bilateral partnership," the MEA stated.
"In terms of commitments, Nepal got a lot," says an article in 'The Kathmandu Post'.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, "The religious and cultural ties between India and Nepal are very old and
very strong. We will continue to work to give our relationship the height of the Himalayas.
And in this spirit, we will solve all the issues, whether it is of boundary or any other issue".
Truly there were poetic elements in Modi's statement. Moreover, the agreement on Nepal's power export to
Bangladesh via India is a unique arrangement and "could ultimately be a game-changer for Nepal’s economy",
says an editorial in 'The Kathmandu Post'. "Even if a fraction of these commitments are realised, Nepal stands
to gain immensely," says the paper but it has also highlighted few issues of disappointment.
For his part, the Nepalese Prime Minister requested Modi and the Indian side for lifting of the anti-dumping duty
on Nepali jute products.
"We discussed the promotion of trade and the ways of reducing Nepal’s increasing trade deficit with India.
India is Nepal’s largest trading partner," Prachanda pointed out and also requested for non-reciprocal market
access to India with more flexible and easy quarantine procedures for Nepal’s agricultural products.
Anurag Acharya of Nepal's Policy Entrepreneurs Inc says India facilitating electricity trade between Nepal
and Bangladesh was not making much progress "even a few years ago". Thus, he emphasises and rightly
so -- "Let us then acknowledge that we have made progress. Although, we have to gradually negotiate with
the Indian side and argue against unfeasible conditions they have set with regards to selecting the projects
they want to import power from. It is up to both sides to create a conducive environment"
This creating of conducive environment is a crucial element in the ties between two neighbours.
There is no denying that the misadventurism by the Oli regime was an advisable rote. It is true
no contemporary Nepal Prime Minister or the government itself can underestimate the roles of New Delhi
can play in times to come In more ways than one.
The India-Nepal Treaty of Peace and Friendship of 1950 forms a basic foundation of special relations between the two countries. India shares a border of over 1,850 km with five Indian states -- Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, West Bengal and Bihar.
Land-locked Nepal relies heavily on India for the transportation of goods and services as it is only through India that Kathmandu gets access to the sea.
Prachanda or Pushpa Kamal Dahal is aware of the positive vibrations he can generate by close ties
with the Modi government in India. Hence, unhesitatingly he says,
"India is Nepal’s close neighbor and important partner for development and prosperity. As Nepal moves ahead on the path of graduating from LDC status by 2026, India’s continued support and goodwill remains important for us. We have agreed to maintain the momentum generated by this visit".
Notably yet again, ever since he assuming power in December 2022, Prachanda has emphasised that his government will follow 'balanced and trustworthy' ties with New Delhi without any major shift approach towards its policies to either China or India.
But Prime Minister Modi is particularly focused on improving ties with smaller nations in the neighbourhood. With regard Nepal, he has often used symbolism and has pushed his 'religious diplomacy' card.
This was done at Janakpur in 2018. Janakpur is the birthplace of Sita and Modi then had given
a fillip to the Nepal-India bilateral ties, powered by an agreement on energy.
Last year Modi visited Lumbini. He asserted that Lumbini is the 'birthplace' of the Buddha. He had done so first - eight years back - in 2014 - in Nepal’s the then Constituent Assembly that doubled up as Parliament.
In May 2022, in presence of his Nepal counterpart (then) Sher Bahadur Deuba, Modi had said - “The Buddha is above geopolitical boundaries, he is for everyone. Even our Lord Ram is incomplete without Nepal".
This was in reference to Janakpur, the birthplace of Goddess Sita.
Analysts say Modi's 'Buddhist symbolism' in 2022 had also brought to
focus the perceived 'atheist China’s Buddhist card' in the game of geopolitics and geo-strategic.
The development-diplomacy is also important between these two countries.
India has come to Nepal's aid by signing an agreement between Nepal and India's National Hydro Electric
Power Corporation Private Limited to develop both the 750 MW West Seti project, a project that was stranded by
a Chinese company.
The 900 MW Upper Karnali Project has also been taken up.
The infrastructure and other collaborations are getting their due attention.
Nepal has offered India to take up the languishing West Seti hydropower project of Nepal.
IIT Madras and Kathmandu University have collaborated on offering a joint degree programme while the
Indian Council of Cultural Relations (ICCR) and Lumbini Buddhist University will establish a Dr Ambedkar Chair
for Buddhist Studies. The 900 MW Arun III project, being developed by a subsidiary of Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam (SJVN), is moving ahead at a faster pace.
Nepalese expert Anurag Acharya
"Finally, if we have to get over the present ad hoc mentality and instill a functioning system that guides our foreign policy thinking, we also have to improve our public and media discourse. The way the Millennium Challenge Corporation saga unfolded in the Nepali media, the way we continue to discuss our border disputes with India, and the way we react domestically to international developments, show we must institutionalise our domestic discourse and ground it on informed analyses and not on political ranting. This will not only help counter disinformation, but also make public discourse more robust and, hopefully, restore trust in our institutions and processes.
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