By Deepak Joshi Pokhrel
With Pushpakamal Dahal Prachanda assuming the executive post, the two emerging giants and our immediate neighbors have been keeping a close tab on the government under his leadership. India has always been sceptical about Nepal’s political dynamics while China has been expressing its concern over the increasing anti-China activities in Nepal. Now, it remains to be seen how our Prime Minister Prachanda ensures a healthy relationship with the two giant neighbours.
Prachanda has become the Prime Minister at a time when India and China’s relations have nosedived. New Delhi joining the west campaign blamed Beijing for manufacturing and spreading the Nobel Corona Virus creating havoc across the globe. Though there has been substantial improvement in their relationship, Beijing still believes that India played the west card to defame China. Given our geopolitical location, we cannot afford to intensify our ties relationship with China while ignoring India, and vice versa.
Soon after the Prachanda-led government was formed, China opened its border town of Kerung with Nepal. The Kerung- Nepal border had remained closed for nearly three years as a result of the COVID pandemic. Many political observers say that it was a coincidence while others argue that it was a symbolic gesture or its goodwill towards the newly formed government under the leadership of Maoist supremo Prachanda. Whatever the cause, the resumption of the border has brought huge respite among Nepalese traders.
China is very much mindful of the fact that the present alliance is a pseudo-leftist alliance and can part ways for petty reasons. China does not trust these leaders as they have shown their true colours time and again in the past. But sadly, it has no option but to stay with these flip flops as long as possible. It is hard to rely on them. The future will clear the picture when the alliance comes into action.
On the other hand, after the election result, it has been reported that there had been hectic movements of Indian agents trying to form the government in their favor. But, they were not able to do so for several reasons. The then Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba was not in their good book as he was viewed as a devout American. India has wanted a leader who is solely devoted to it. If the media reports are any guide, it plays the Madhesh card to fulfil its objective.
The people believe most of the political leaders receive financial support from the Indian embassy in Kathmandu. Oftentimes, many leaders with high reputations come under public scrutiny for their alleged involvement in signing anti-national deals with our Southern neighbor. Leaders like former prime minister Babu Ram Bhattarai is believed to be paid agent of RAW, which he has not refuted yet. Some time back, Bhattarai publicly blamed Prachanda, Deuba and Oli for embezzling huge amounts of money in the Mahakali deal with India.
Dr Bhattarai also accused Prachanda of grabbing millions in funds allocated for the victims of the Maoist insurgency. Now, shamelessly, he is a close associate of Prachanda. So much so, he helped Prachanda win the election in Gorkha and form the government under his prime ministership.
On the other hand, Prachanda had told the press in an interview that he would never accept any invitation from K.P. Oli for an alliance whatsoever. Flip-flop, double standards and fooling the people are their ideology under the guise of communism. Mr comfortable even invited the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP), a neo-feudalistic party, against whom 10 years of the Maoist insurgency was launched at the cost of more than 17,000 lives, brushing aside his communist ideology.
It is said that there was immense American pressure to resist Prachanda’s demand for the prime ministership. The reports also said that Deuba offered the PM’s post to RRP chairman Rajendra Lingden to topple the Prachanda-led government as a vengeance — no matter what awaits the country as a result of political instability in the country. However, the chairman responded by saying that he is not on sale and cannot betray people. It seems that political cronies view democracy as a game they love to play to serve their interests. In the run-up to the election, no parties displayed their vision and future plan on major issues.
India has been accused of meddling in our internal affairs poking its dirty nose in the micro-management of our internal affairs. The objective of our southern neighbor is to employ its henchmen to move up its agenda smoothly through the channel and remove all the possible obstacles. Now Prachanda will be under immense pressure to table the citizenship bill in the house and pass it through.
Now, who is comfortable with Prime Ministership Prachanda? China or India or both? This is an interesting question. Chinese diplomacy is soft, delicate, and sophisticated, not wanting to offend others unless the circumstances are unavoidable and trying to maintain sweet and harmonious relations with its neighbors. India’s relations with us have been ups and downs. But we cannot afford to corner our century-old ties with India.
Both are equally important to us. Prachanda has a huge responsibility on his shoulder to maintain equilibrium with two emerging giants and benefit from their rapid economic growth.
Login to add a comment