The Governor General’s Files: Lest Nepal goes the Tibet way

No two countries have as much in common as India and Nepal in terms of history, geography, religion, culture, intermarriage and ethnicity. I have served for over a half a century with Gorkha troops, trekked in that country, done a lot of development work for our ex-servicemen and served as India’s ambassador to Nepal at a critical time in 1990. I am emotionally attached to Nepal, a second home to me.

After the 1857 uprising, portions of some districts in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar were given by the British to Nepal in return for its military assistance. This territory is called Madhes and its inhabitants Madhesis.

The Nepal Congress, under the leadership of B.P. Koirala, launched a movement for replacing the Rana regime with a democratic government and the king continuing as a constitutional monarch. He, and many Nepal Congress leaders, took part in the Quit India Movement of 1942. He was imprisoned in Hazaribagh central jail along with Jayaprakash Narayan. Quite a few Nepal Congress leaders were taken prisoners during that movement. India helped the Nepali Congress establish democracy in Nepal.

Indo-Nepal relations have been very cordial with open borders and no visa regime. Millions of Nepalese have jobs in India and are treated at par with Indian citizens. This applies also to Gorkha soldiers in the Indian Army.

A few Gorkhas have reached the rank of lieutenant general. There is no bar a Gorkha becoming Army Chief of India. King Mahendra Shah scrapped democracy in 1960, introducing partyless Panchayati rule with nominated Prime Minister and ministers. He played the China card, seeking Chinese aid for projects. Nepal remained neutral during the India-China war in 1962. King Birendra Shah continued with panchayati raj and the tilt towards China. Due to personal differences between Rajiv Gandhi and the king, both India and Nepal allowed the Indo-Nepal Trade and Transit Treaty to lapse in 1989. India thought that Nepal would be brought down to its knees and Nepal felt that with aid from other countries, it could defy India.

The Rajiv Gandhi government fell and V.P. Singh became Prime Minister of India. I was appointed India’s ambassador to Nepal. The blockade was lifted and goods started flowing into Nepal. India provided massive economic aid to revive Nepal’s economy. Political leaders were released. An interim government of Nepali Congress and Nepali Communist Party was installed with a Nepali Congress Prime Minister. This was like the 1946 interim government in India. An interim Constitution was passed. Nepal remained a Hindu state and monarchy continued.

L.M. Singhvi, a reputed constitutional lawyer from India, helped in drafting the Constitution. This was contrary to the secular policy of Government of India and also the two major Nepali political parties. But this was welcomed in Nepal. It was most unfortunate that King Birendra Shah and his entire family in the palace were massacred. King Gyanendra Bikram Shah succeeded his brother. His son, Crown Prince Paras, has a very bad reputation. Reverence for monarchy diminished. The communists started a civil war and heavy casualties were suffered on both sides. The United Progressive Alliance government came to power in 2004 and outsourced its Nepal policy to the communists on whom it was dependent for support to remain in power. Peace was restored in Nepal with Prachanda acquiring power. Prime Minister Prachanda, with his tilt towards China, started pursuing an anti-India policy. Monarchy was abolished and Nepal became a secular State.

Narendra Modi's "Neighbourhood First" policy and visit to Nepal in 2014 was a huge success. He took the country by storm, generating a Modi wave in his brilliant address to the Nepal Parlaiment. After seven years of negotiations a new Constitution, highly discriminatory to Madhesis, was proclaimed on September 20, 2015. Parliamentary constituencies have been worked out on the basis of land space and not population. 14 districts have been clubbed with hill districts. Through all this manipulation, Madhesi constituencies are only 65 out of 165 in the Nepal Parliament, though Madhesis constitute 51 per cent of the population of Nepal.

The new Constitution of Nepal has been welcomed by China, but India has expressed reservations at the blatant discrimination against Madhesis. Nepal considers this as India’s interference in its internal affair. The Madhesi agitation of the last six weeks and firing by the Nepal police has killed 50 Madhesis. India has 1,000 loaded trucks with essential commodities lined up near the border, but they cannot proceed into Nepal because of the blockade in Nepal’s territory which Nepalese forces have not been able to clear and provide necessary security. India sent 100 trucks with urgently needed medicine and other stupplies. These were burnt and so was an ambulance. India should have sent these by air. This would have had the desired impact and earned much goodwill.

Communist propaganda is working overtime to even brainwash Nepal’s schoolchildren with anti-India feelings. Mr Modi’s effigies and Indian National flags are being burnt in Kathmandu. The Chinese flag is being burnt in Madhesi areas. There have been violent incidents on the Indo-Nepal border for the first time in the history of the two countries. One Indian national was shot at by the Nepal police at the border and this was taken up at prime ministerial level. Three Sashastra Seema Bal personnel were accused of shooting some escaping smugglers and 13 SSB personnel were taken into custody by Nepal government. The Nepalese representative has complained at the UN Security Council that India has blockaded Nepal. The Prime Minister of Nepal, Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli, has stated that Nepal has suffered more loss due to Indian blockade than during the massive earthquake last year. India has also complained in the UN on human rights violations in the Madhesi region of Nepal.

Things could not be worse. As the bigger brother, India should show magnanimity and Nepal should refrain from carrying vicious, false propaganda against India. Despite China’s increased capabilities, it cannot replace India in Nepal. Not only geography but also Nepal’s economy being dependent on millions of jobs in India cannot be compensated by China. Wisdom is required on both sides to overcome this most tragic logjam on both sides. India cannot afford to have China take over Nepal as it swallowed Tibet in 1950, nor can Nepal survive economically without Indian cooperation. Let us hope and pray that these realities dawn on both countries.

The writer, a retired lieutenant-general, was Vice-Chief of Army Staff and has served as governor of Assam and Jammu and Kashmir