On/Off the Record
By P.R. Pradhan
Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar’s two-day hectic Kathmandu visit on January 4 and 5 January was beneficial for India in taking one step forward in weakening Nepal’s sovereignty and independence.
Since India was liberated from the British colony, the Indians have continuously made efforts to make Nepal an Indian colony. Either it was the 1990 people’s movement or the 2006 April uprising; either it was the Royal Palace massacre following the rejection of the citizenship amendment bill by King Birendra or the dethronement of King Gyanendra; either launching of the Maoist “people’s war” or the 12-point Delhi agreement, they all are linked with weakening Nepali sovereignty and making Nepal an Indian colony.
The present government in Nepal is the byproduct of the 12-point agreement. Especially, whether it is Pushpakamal Dahal or Baburam Bhattarai, both of them are the so-called Nepali leaders acting in the interests of India. Sher Bahadur Deuba, known to be a pro-American Nepali, became pro-Indian just to enjoy power in Nepal. In conclusion, the political parties in the present coalition government are serving vested Indian interests.
In the race to serve Indian interests, the government has exceeded the limit of 20 crore rupees that the Indian Embassy can spend on community projects without notice to the government. This is the Indian plan to develop direct excess with the local governments and local communities.
Earlier, India’s confident leader, Surya Bahadur Thapa, when he was the prime minister, allowed the Indian Embassy to spend up to 3 crore rupees on different community projects without giving notice to the Nepal government. Later, when Baburam Bhattarai became the prime minister, he increased the limit, making it five crore rupees. In the race to serve their Indian bosses, Prime Minister Pushpakamal Dahal and Nepali Congress commander Sher Bahadur Deuba increased the amount to 20 crore rupees despite opposition from all sectors for stopping such direct Indian investment in Nepal.
India’s ultimate plan is to bring Nepal under the Indian security umbrella. The Indian side has already given a clear message to the Nepali leaders about accepting the Indian proposal. Dahal and Deuba are seeking an environment for the adoption of the Indian proposal.
When the Indian team arrived in Kathmandu to attend the joint commission meeting to review all the issues, the Indian side warned the Nepali side for not raising the issue of the 1950 treaty, border disputes, and EPG report. The Indians demonstrated a dominating attitude toward the Nepali team, and the India-puppet Nepali team performed the “Yes Boss” attitude in front of their Indian bosses.
The Nepali team was unable to speak in the interests of the country. Five hundred crore Indian rupees were dumped at the Nepal Rastra Bank, but the Indian side declined to accept them. The newly constructed Bhairahawa and Pokhara international airports are virtually non-operational, as India denied the operation of the Instrumental Landing System (ISL) at the Bhairahawa International Airport and denied giving new air entry routes via Bhairahawa and Dhangadhi. Some private airlines are ready to operate flights from Pokhara and Bhairahawa to the Indian cities, but the Indians are reluctant to respond to Nepal’s concerns. The main objection the Indian side has expressed is that both airports were constructed with Chinese involvement.
Sher Bahadur Deuba, when he was the prime minister of Nepal, wanted to hand over the West Seti Hydropower Project to India, saying that if the project is given to any other third country, India will not import electricity from that project. India has denied importing electricity produced from projects constructed by Chinese construction companies. The message is that Nepal should not involve China in development projects.
Every time, during the high-level visits between the leaders from Nepal and India, the Indian leaders are found expressing concern about the increasing presence of China and the West in Nepal. The Indians believe Nepal is already an India-protected nation. Our leaders also pose themselves as the Indian slaves.
India agreed to purchase 10 thousand MW of electricity in the coming ten years. Our leaders have lauded it saying a great breakthrough in relations between the two nations. India is the lone buyer of Nepali electricity, therefore, India fixes the price and we are compelled to sell electricity at the price set by India. The Nepal Electricity Authority has claimed that billions of rupees worth of electricity was exported to India but it has not disclosed the net profit that Nepal gained from the export. In fact, NEA is facing a loss from the export of electricity, according to hydropower experts. They suggest increasing the domestic consumption market rather than exporting electricity to India. If the Nepal government supplies electricity to the local industries at a subsidized rate, local industries flourish and a wave of industrialization of the nation will come, they opine.
If we don’t develop a local consumption market and rely on exports to India only, at any time, India may use electricity as an arm to bring Nepal under the control of India. Nepal should remain alert and try to develop a self-reliant economy to safeguard national sovereignty and independence.
Unfortunately, from the present lots of political leaders, we cannot expect it.
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect People’s Review’s editorial stance.
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