By Vishal Arora
India will pay a diplomatic price for its reaction to Nepal’s new constitution.
India’s “unofficial” blockade of goods on its side of the Nepal border has successfully shown New Delhi’s muscles to its neighbor. However, this act of punishing Nepal for not addressing India’s concerns in its new constitution appears to be the first act in a diplomatic suicide.
Nepal’s border with India has been blocked for more than two months, and is being referred to as another “disaster” following the April 25 earthquake, which killed more than 10,000 people and destroyed hundreds of thousands of houses. The blockade has choked imports of not only petroleum, but also medicines and earthquake relief material.
New Delhi has blamed violent protests by Nepal’s ethnic Madhesi activists over their displeasure with federal boundaries and representation in parliament and public office, as provided for in the new constitution. The Madhesh region in southern Nepal is home to people of Indian origin, many of whom still have relatives and friends across the border in India.
New Delhi had told Kathmandu, through a leaked document, that it wanted Nepal’s constitution to address the concerns of the Madhesi people. India was also hoping that Nepal would either be reinstated as a Hindu nation or drop the word “secular” from its charter. But Nepal’s lawmakers didn’t oblige, and believe they are now being “disciplined” by “big brother.”
The blockade is fuelling anti-India sentiment across the country, barring Madhesh. This growing aversion to India is not just a social phenomenon, it also becoming a political reality.
Read the full story at The Diplomat