- Nepalese PM Sher Bahadur Deuba will be visiting India in the first week of April
- He will be meeting with various leaders including PM Modi and UP CM Yogi Adityanath
- It’s a golden opportunity for India to permanently weed out Chinese influence from Nepal
During the last 7 years, the ‘Beti-Roti’ relationship between India and Nepal has suffered several hiccups. Communist Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli turned out to be one of the worst catalysts in Nepal’s diplomatic history. However, PM Deuba is coming to India with a golden opportunity to correct Oli’s wrongdoings.
PM Deuba in India
Officials of both India and Nepal have confirmed that Nepal’s PM Sher Bahadur Deuba will be on an official visit to India from 1st April to 3rd April. The significance of this visit can be gauged from the fact that a high profile delegation will be accompanying PM Oli. The members of the delegation include Narayan Khadka, Nepal’s Foreign Minister, secretaries and other senior Ministers.
Expressing optimism over the visit, the Ministry of External affairs (MEA) said, “India and Nepal enjoy age-old ties. In recent years, the partnership has witnessed significant growth in all areas of cooperation. The visit will provide an opportunity to the two sides to review this wide-ranging partnership and to progress it further for the benefit of the two peoples,”
PM Deuba is here to strengthen the ties
On his visit, PM Deuba will be meeting with top echelons of the Modi government. On 2nd April, he is scheduled to meet PM Modi and Vice President Venkaiah Naidu. He is also expected to hold deliberations with External affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar and National Security Advisor (NSA), Ajit Doval.
Not just on a political level, PM Deuba is in the mood to placate all fears caused due to Oli’s actions. In order to assure the average Indian that he is in a damage control mood, Nepalese PM will be visiting Varanasi to strengthen the religious bond between both countries. UP CM Yogi will be attending him in Varanasi. Deuba will also be addressing a group of entrepreneurs on his India visit.
Oli’s pro-China stand had eroded India-Nepal relationship
The main agenda of this outreach by Nepalese PM is to strengthen the India and Nepal relationship. As reported by TFI, relations between India and Nepal soured when former PM Oli showed Indian territories of Limpiyadhura, Lipulekh and Kalapani in Nepal’s revised political map. He further damaged the people-to-people ties by blaming India for bringing the Wuhan virus to Nepal.
To antagonize India, Oli went and sat in the lap of Xi Jinping, thereby allowing the authoritarian leader to usurp territories of the Himalayan country. Oli’s anti-India hate speeches also led to Nepalese Police firing on unarmed Indian citizens.
Read more: Nepal PM KP Sharma Oli is the new Mahathir and the world knows what happened to Mahathir
Deuba is pro-India
As soon as PM Deuba came to power after Oli’s ousting, he set out on a mission to reestablish India and Nepal ties. Deuba’s Nepali Congress along with its five coalition partners rolled out a ‘Common Minimum Programme’ (CMP). The CMP emphasized the need to resolve issues with India relating to the Limpiyadhura, Kalapani and Lipulekh region through diplomatic means.
In November 2021, PM Modi and PM Deuba held a special meeting on the sidelines of COP 26 in Glasgow. The seriousness of Nepalese PM towards improving ties with India can be gauged from the fact that India is the first country which he is visiting for a bilateral visit during his latest stint as PM of the country.
Read more: ‘China can never replace India,’ Ruling party in Nepal makes it clear as pro-China Oli gets ousted
Minutes of the visit
According to various media reports, multiple agreements between both countries, which include cross border railway, are likely to be finalized. India had provided assistance in reconstructing Kurtha-Jayanagar railway lines. Both PMs are expected to inaugurate this. A memorandum of understanding (MOU) regarding rebuilding of 137 health posts with India’s assistance is also in the pipeline.
The timing of Deuba’s visit is also a diplomatic message to China. Recently, China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited both India and Nepal. Both countries ensured that China’s demands remain unfulfilled. While Nepal refused to sign any agreement on China’s ambitious Belt and Road initiative, India’s reaction to Wang Yi was brilliantly summarized by Major General Harsha Kakar in following words, “He came uninvited, was snubbed, and returned with actionable points”
Read more: Xi’s poodle Yi is coming to India to secure a visit for his master. He’ll fail
Nepal is drifting away from China. India has already dissociated itself from the Communist nation. If we want to permanently separate China from the Himalayan nation, Deuba should be the face of Nepal. This is only possible when India’s assistance to Nepal will slowly weed out China’s influence.
