KATHMANDU, Aug 14: The growing prosperity of India is an opportunity for Nepal to realize its dream of development and opportunity, said Minister for Foreign Affairs Pradeep Kumar Gyawali.

“India-Nepal bilateral relation is interrelated and interdependent. Thus Nepal can benefit a lot from the growing economy of India,” said Minister Gyawali speaking at a special interaction program organized on Wednesday by Reporters’ Club Nepal on the eve of India’s 73rd Independence Day.

“India has taken a huge stride in economic development and has established itself as one of the six largest successful economies in the world. It is a golden opportunity for Nepal as well to benefit from its southern neighbor,” he added.

Stating that Nepal and India are set to establish a relationship of bilateral partnership with a focus on economic development, he added, “Many bilateral projects have been accomplished while some are in progress.”

Minister Gyawali was of the view that although India-Nepal bilateral relations have dynamic aspects only economic partnership can strengthen the ties further between two nations.

“The construction of Motihari-Amlekhjung petroleum pipeline project has been completed and is set to start its operation soon. Nepal can save billions of rupees spent on the transportation of petroleum products.”

“A number of bilateral projects in major areas are in progress. The postal highway project is currently under construction. Similarly, both countries have agreed upon a 113 km railway line that would link Raxaul with the capital city Kathmandu. Other projects include inland waterways and partnership in agriculture.”

“Likewise, inundation has been a huge problem for both countries. Both the governments are making efforts to minimize the damage caused by monsoon floods,” said Gyawali.

“Our interest is the relationship of friendship and support. I believe the India-Nepal relationship becomes more positive the days ahead.”

On the occasion, he also extended best wishes to India on its 73^rd Independence Day.

KATHMANDU, Aug 6: The bilateral relationship between Nepal and India is not as positive as it should be and China is also not happy with Nepal’s political and constitutional system, argued Political Analyst Dr. Arun Kumar Subedi.

Nepal and India share close linguistic, marital, religious, and, cultural ties, at people to people level. However, a number of political issues including border disputes have soured the bilateral relationship between the two neighbors since late 2015.

“Since late 2015, some of the political forces of Nepal, in order to counter the Indian reservation over the promulgation, invoked the anti-Indian rhetoric among the people which only worsened the diplomatic relation,” said Subedi during a television interview Janata Janna Chahanchan.

Especially, Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli share a patchy relation with the southern neighbor—Oli remained a strong vocal critic of India criticizing its hegemonic interference after the undeclared economic blockade led to a humanitarian crisis in Nepal.

“Both India and Nepal are obliged to address each other but they do not have a relationship of trust,” said Subedi.

According to Subedi, the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) clearly wants Nepal reinstated as a Hindu state.

“It is clearly understood that India wants a change in the constitutional status,” he added.

“They want Nepal to remain as a hub of Hindus and Buddhists. But we lost the opportunity in the name of progressivism.”

“Not only India but also China is not satisfied with the constitutional and political system Nepal especially federalism and secularism.”

“When Nepal took the petition to China during the undeclared blockade, China said it would consult with India first. Also, when Nepal was declared a federal state, China expressed reservation over the cultural intrusion in the border area.”

“Moreover, why has not the province got state police yet? It is because of the pressure from the two neighbors.”

He also opined that the upcoming visit of Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar is a positive sign.

Jaishankar had last visited Nepal in September 2015 as a special envoy of Indian PM Modi at the eleventh hour before the then constituent assembly overwhelmingly endorsed the new constitution. He had advised the senior Nepali political leaders to derail the promulgation but his advice was outright rejected by the leaders.

His appointment as India’s external affairs minister–after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi secured a landslide victory in the 2019 Lok Shabha Election—clearly reminded Nepal of the bitter experience four years ago.

“But Jaishankar’s Nepal’s visit is a positive sign that Nepal-India diplomatic tie is not worse. It is a sign that India does not intend to isolate Nepal like Pakistan.”

Jaishankar is scheduled to visit Nepal in the third week of August to participate in the fifth meeting of the ministerial-level Nepal-India Joint Commission.

Subedi was of the view that there are possibilities of the revival of the kingdom in Nepal.

“The monarchy was not overthrown by the people neither it was the agenda of people. Did the political leaders call for a referendum? There is widespread discontent among people with the current political structure. It cannot be said that the kingdom will not be revived again.”

By Rishi Dhamala

By working with the government in our southern neighbor, the Oli government can bag in more investments for its development projects and help our economy

‘Aab ki baar tin soo paar!’ – This time beyond the three hundred mark. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi told his party workers while campaigning for the general elections earlier this year. The promise was delivered. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won 303 seats out of 543 and the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance won 353 seats in the 17the Lok Sabha elections, held in seven phases from 11 April to 19 May 2019. He is the first prime minister outside of the Indian National Congress to win two consecutive terms with full majority and the second prime minister to complete five years in office after Atal Bihari Vajpayee, another BJP leader.

Born to an ordinary family in Gujarat, Modi, during his early political career, made an impact as a future leader of the world’s seventh most populous democracy to the then BJP Chair Vajpayee. It is believed that Vajpayee himself asked Modi to become the chief minister of Gujarat. And it paid off. Modi made Gujarat a model state of the Republic of India—This was a major factor behind his sweeping victory in 2014 Indian General Elections. Under his leadership, BJP became the first single party to obtain a majority in the Indian lower house, Lok Sabha, since 1984.

Modi’s charisma denied the Indian National Congress, led by Rahul Gandhi and its allies, a dominant position in the opposition. The Indian National Congress won just 52 seats, and the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance won 91. The landslide victory has pushed the opposition parties to less than 10 percent (55 seats) in the Lok Sabha, making the lower house without an official opposition party. Despite, strong campaigning and alliance against the BJP, the Modi magic prevailed.

PM Modi has established himself as a powerful leader, at least for the time being. Modi  is looking beyond his borders to extend India’s influence. Inviting BIMSTEC leaders to swearing-in ceremony was a nod to his leadership in South Asia and beyond. His victory has been swiftly welcomed by world leaders, including the United States President Donald Trump, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin, among others.

THE SPELL THAT WORKED
Besides his influential speeches and charismatic leadership, analysts have attributed the sweeping victory to some of the works during his first tenure as PM. One of the most crucial decisions that Modi took after assuming office in his first term was demonetizing 500 and 1000 rupees note. Aimed at removing black money from circulation, it handed a major blow to black money, counterfeit currency. But in doing so, he put his position on the line as it resulted in severe cash shortages and a sharp decline in Indian stock market and unemployment increased. But as the immediate impact faded, the move paid off with the number of income tax returns filed by individuals rising by 25 percent the next year. His first four years saw India’s GDP growth at an average rate of 7 percent higher than the previous governments. Modi’s vision and mission of transforming India worked. And the voters could see this tangible impact. Poverty reduction program, tax reforms initiative and economic liberalization gave him support from Indian’s almost all quarters.

NAMO 1.0 AND NEPAL INDIA RELATIONSHIP
Modi’s foreign policy has focused on the idea of ‘neighborhood first’ policy. His first official state visit after becoming PM the first time around was to Nepal in 2014. Since then, he has visited Nepal four times, taking the India-Nepal bilateral relationship to greater heights. After winning the elections for the second term, Modi has vowed to continue cooperation and assistance to Nepal government’s goal of development and prosperity.

Like in the previous term, Mod invited the leaders of BIMSTEC, including Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli to his swearing-in ceremony in New Delhi. This is a clear message that India’s neighborhood first policy remains his top priority. Along with the neighbors, the swearing-in ceremony is being attended by the BIMSTEC heads, which denotes Modi’s ambition to increase India’s role and influence on the world stage.

Modi resolved and is trying to resolve various diplomatic issues between Nepal and India, including border disputes and distribution of resources.  His promises to back Nepal’s journey toward the path of development have been functional. Construction of long-stalled hydroelectricity projects have been expedited. Railway linkages across the borders have been expanded while work on building railway network linking Raxaul with Kathmandu is being done. Direct bus services between Kathmandu and New Delhi have further increased people-to-people relations. Both the countries have moved ahead toward building a relationship based on mutual growth and prosperity.

NAMO 2.0 IN RELATION TO NEPAL
A stable government at home and in the neighborhood is by far the best thing to happen for Nepal after many years. Given Modi’s willingness to move ahead toward mutual growth and prosperity, it is very crucial for us to expedite the implementation of long and short-term development projects. In his first tenure, the Modi government has worked extensively on bringing stalled projects into implementation. The Oli government should now further their implementation by working closely with the bureaucracy.

Indian investment is Nepal has increased. Nepal has secured investment for Arun III hydroelectric project and expects to attract further foreign direct investment (FDI) by offering attractive incentive packages in terms of corporate taxation, import duties, and export facilitation for foreigner investors and assuring an investment-friendly environment. By working with the government in our southern neighbor, the Oli government can bag in more investments for its development projects and help our economy.

Since coming to power, Modi has always stressed on the power connectivity and cooperation for achieving a prosperous neighborhood. And during his second term, which of course is starting off with even greater maturity in terms of policy and experience, Nepal government should work closely in realizing the goal of a prosperous and happy Nepal.

(This article was previously published in Republica)