Krishna Prasad Oli

We Will Get Territories Back From India: Nepal’s PM Oli

In an address to the upper house of parliament, Oli claimed that he had the courage to bring up the territorial issue with India, while previous governments had kept quiet.

New Delhi: Even as he announced the Nepali foreign minister’s upcoming visit to New Delhi, Nepal Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli asserted on Sunday that Kathmandu will get the disputed territories of Kalapani, Limpiyadhura and Lipulekh back from India.

In an address to the National Assembly, Nepal’s upper house of parliament, Oli claimed that he had the courage to bring up the territorial issue with India, while previous governments had kept quiet.

“Kalapani, Limpiyadhura and Lipulekh which are located east of the Mahakali River belong to Nepal as per the Sugauli Treaty. We will get them back through diplomatic talks with India,” he stated, as reported by Republica newspaper.

He reiterated that the Nepali government had never attempted reclaim the territories after India stationed its soldiers during the India-China war in 1962.

“Some people are restless because my government issued the new political map incorporating the encroached Nepali territories. In fact, our rulers hesitated to speak against the Indian encroachment. Now, we [government] are working to get back these territories,” Oli said.

This is the first time that Oli has spoken about the dispute with India following the dissolution of the lower house of parliament last month. The mid-term elections are scheduled to be held in April and May this year.

Also read: Nepal’s Constitution Is in Danger as Oli Moves Closer to Authoritarianism

The Nepali prime minister claimed that ties with the country’s two giant neighbours – India and China – had reached new heights under his government.

In fact, relations between India and Nepal had been at a low since 2019 following Oli government’s objection to India building a border road. Thereafter, Nepal issued a political map incorporating the disputed territories, which was then embedded in the national emblem through a constitutional amendment.

However, there had been a thaw in ties in the last quarter of 2020, with Indian foreign secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla visiting Kathmandu in November.

“We are working to deepen ties with India based on sovereign equality. In fact, we want to deepen the relationship with India in true sense and we should not hesitate to raise our issues of genuine concerns with India,” Oli said in his address on Sunday.

He also publicly announced that Nepali foreign minister Pradeep Gyawali will visit India on January 14 to “discuss the boundary and other matters”.

Here’s Why Nepal PM K.P. Sharma Oli Is Now Keen to Mend Ties With India

It just so happens that both countries can no longer afford to prolong disagreements, whether over the border or otherwise.

Kathmandu: Nepal Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli, who had until recently faced pressure from party leaders to quit as prime minister and party chairman, seems to have managed intra-party rifts for the time being, thus securing his position for the remaining two and half years of the government’s five-year term.

An intra-party taskforce has come up with a suggestion that Oli focuses on government matters and party chairperson, Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda, holds executive rights in party affairs.

A statement released by Prachanda last week has indicated that Oli will remain as prime minister for the full five-year term. As a solution to the intra-party rift, Oli’s role in party affairs will be curtailed, federal and provincial cabinets may be reshuffled to accommodate leaders from rival camps and the party will scrutinise the functioning of the government more.

Now that disagreements within the party are done with, Oli’s next priority is to improve ties with India. On August 15, Oli held a phone conversation with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to greet the latter on the occasion of India’s 74th Independence Day. The conversation initiated by Oli ended the period of total communication breakdown that had erupted after boundary disputes between the two countries.

India’s Independence Day offered a moment to be seized, and dialogue between the two countries resumed. Both leaders share a good rapport. Two days after the talks at prime ministerial level, Nepal and India held a mandated meeting of oversight mechanism, to review development projects funded by India.

Also read: India-Nepal War of Words Continues Over Offers, Non-Offers of Border Talks

The mechanism was formed four years ago to identify the bottlenecks in development projects and settle them fast.

Nepal has also extended the deadline for Small Development Projects (SDPs) with investment from the Indian Embassy by three years. This had been pending since Nepal entered its federal setup. The SDPs are regarded as one of India’s most successful development projects in the neighbourhood and began in Nepal in 2003.

India has also provided 10 ventilators to the Nepal Army.

These developments come as a huge sigh of relief for those who want to see cordial relationships between the two countries. Both sides seem visibly keen to normalise bilateral relations.

Why is Oli keen to repair relations with India?

First, opposition parties have started raising the pitch on how Oli has been failing to talk with India on border issues.

Nepal’s Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli (L) shakes hands with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi in New Delhi, India, February 20, 2016. Credits: Reuters/Adnan Abidi/File Photo

An intra-party panel formed to resolve internal disputes has reportedly suggested that Prime Minister Oli talk with India immediately on border isssues. All opposition parties including Madhes-based parties had notably supported the constitution amendment on the map that had been initiated by government.

Now, they are of the view that Oli should demonstrate his diplomatic skills to settle disputes with India.

Opposition parties are also blaming him for damaging ties with India with his provocative statements. Even foreign policy observers have been vocal with their belief that Oli has threatened people-to-people relations between the two countries. Even a section of leaders of the ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP) have expressed disappointment with some of Oli’s statements.

Also read: Nepal PM Oli Says ‘Ayodhya’ Was in Nepal; Kathmandu Issues Clarification

This seems to have had an effect on Oli.

Second, Oli is quite aware that the border issue is time consuming to resolve and that it should not affect overall bilateral relations. There are several issues between two countries which demand regular and constant touch between the two, like the COVID-19 crisis for one.

Nepal is heavily dependent on India for the supply of day-to-day essentials.

Finally, along with criticism over how he handled the COVID-19 crisis, Oli has faced flak for the manner of his dealings with major powers like India, China and United States.

Due to the intra-party rift, the future of America’s US $ 500 million grant to Nepal under the US Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) is uncertain. As per the agreement between two countries, the agreement should have come into effect from June but that deadline was missed and no fresh decision has been made. To get this grant endorsed by the parliament, Oli will have to settle the dispute within his party, although opposition parties are ready to support the government in this matter.

Though Oli is known to lean towards China, there has not been much progress when it comes to selection of projects under China’s Belt and Road Initiative.

Also read: When China Chips Are Down, ‘Diamonds’ in India’s ‘Necklace’ of Allies Lack Sparkle

It is not like India-Nepal ties were particularly cordial even before the map issue. Oli is perceived as having failed to convince India to receive the report of the Eminent Person’s Group (EPG) report which was finalised in 2018. India in 2018, refused to receive the EPG report citing the busy schedule of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This is still pending. Oli is thus keen to get his foreign policies on track.

India is also likely to reciprocate to Oli’s call for resumption of dialogue between two countries. China’s growing presence and engagement with South Asian countries even in the time of the COVID-19 crisis is likely to push India towards its ‘neighbourhood first’ policy.

In his Independence Day speech, Modi had said, “Neighbour is not just one with whom there is sharing of borders but also one with whom our heart stays connected.”

Also read: The Kalapani Imbroglio: Has India Pushed Nepal Too Far?

Recently, Indian Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla visited Bangladesh amid the COVID-19 crisis and he is likely to visit other South Asian countries as well. Since assuming office, Shringla has not visited Nepal. India also cannot afford to ignore Nepal as there are several development projects funded by India which need to be expedited. Modi himself is facing criticism within India that his neighbourhood first policy has not yielded the desired result.

In conclusion, there is no alternative to both Nepal and India other than to settle issues related to trade, transit, water resources, floods, development projects, the submission of the EPG report and the border. These problems might prove difficult to tackle in the future.

Kamal Dev Bhattarai is a Kathmandu-based journalist.

Sign of Thaw as Nepal PM K.P. Sharma Oli calls up Modi; Greets Indians on Independence Day

Modi offered India”s continued support to Nepal in its fight against the pandemic.

New Delhi/Kathmandu: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Nepalese counterpart K.P. Sharma Oli held a telephonic conversation on Saturday, in the first high-level contact after bilateral ties came under severe strain following issuance of a new political map by Nepal in May.

Oli called up Modi and greeted the government and people of India on the country”s 74th Independence Day, an official statement said in New Delhi.

It said Oli also conveyed to Modi his congratulations for India”s recent election as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council.

Modi offered India’s continued support to Nepal in its fight against the pandemic and recalled the civilisational and cultural links that the two countries share, it said.

Also read: ‘No Doubt Buddha Was Born in Nepal’: MEA Clarifies After Nepal Objects to Jaishankar’s Remarks

“The leaders expressed mutual solidarity in the context of the efforts being made to minimise the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in both countries. Prime Minister offered India”s continued support to Nepal in this regard,” the statement said.

It said Modi thanked Oli for his telephone call.

In Kathmandu, Nepal”s Foriegn Ministry said Prime Minister Oli appreciated Prime Minister Modi’s renewed priority to neighborhood as spelt out in his Independence Day address.

Asserting that all leaders of the region have a big responsibility for the development and prosperity of their people, Prime Minister Modi said the more peace and harmony there will be in the region the better it will be for humanity.

“Today, neighbours are not only those with whom we share geographical boundaries but also those with whom our hearts meet… In recent times, India has strengthened its relations with all countries in the extended neighbourhood,” Modi said in his Independence Day address.

Prime Minister Oli said he looked forward to meaningful bilateral cooperation. He also recalled his earlier conversation with Prime Minister Modi on April 10, the ministry said in a press release.

During the telephonic conveersation, Oli highlighted the efforts of the Government of Nepal against the pandemic and to protect the life of the people.

While underlining the need for early development of anti-COVID vaccine, Prime Minister Oli expressed hope that scientists around the world, including in India, would be able to develop it that would be able to control and prevent the disease from spreading further.

The two Prime Ministers agreed to continue discussions on bilateral matters in the future, according to the Nepalese Foreign Ministry press release.

The telephonic conversation between the two leaders came two days before Indian Ambassador to Nepal Vinay Mohan Kwatra and Nepal”s Foreign Secretary Shanker Das Bairagi are scheduled to hold talks under a bilateral framework.

It is not known whether issues relating to the border row figured in the talks between Modi and Oli.

The ties between the two countries came under strain after Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated an 80-km-long strategically crucial road connecting the Lipulekh pass with Dharchula in Uttarakhand on May 8.

Nepal protested the inauguration of the road claiming that it passed through its territory. Days later, Nepal came out with the new map showing Lipulekh, Kalapani and Limpiyadhura as its territories.

In June, Nepal”s Parliament approved the new political map of the country featuring areas which India maintains belong to it.

In its reaction, after Nepal”s lower house of parliament approved the bill, India termed as untenable the “artificial enlargement” of territorial claims by the neighbouring country.

India said Nepal”s action violates an understanding reached between the two countries to resolve the boundary issues through talks.

Oli has been asserting that Lipulekh, Kalapani and Limpiyadhura belong to Nepal and vowed to “reclaim” them from India.

‘No Doubt Buddha Was Born in Nepal’: MEA Clarifies After Nepal Objects to Jaishankar’s Remarks

At a recent webinar, when asked about the “greatest Indians ever that you can remember”, Jaishankar said, “Gautam Buddha and the other is Mahatma Gandhi”.

New Delhi: After Nepal formally objected to external affairs minister S. Jaishankar’s statement at a webinar that Buddha was one of the greatest ‘Indians’, India was quick to damp down on a nascent controversy by asserting that there is “no doubt” that the founder of Buddhism was born in Nepal.

At Confederation of Indian Industry’s ‘India@75 Summit – Mission 2022’, Jaishankar mused during an interactive session on Saturday about the “greatest Indians ever that you can remember”. “I would say one is Gautam Buddha and the other is Mahatma Gandhi,” he offered.

A day later, Nepal foreign ministry issued a statement that it was a “well-established and undeniable fact proven by historical and archaeological evidences that Gautam Buddha was born in Lumbini, Nepal”.

The statement issued on behalf of Nepal foreign ministry’s official spokesperson was in the context of the “recent statement made by the External Affairs Minister of India on Gautam Buddha”.

He reminded that Indian Prime Minister Modi had himself mentioned during his speech to Nepal parliament in 2014 that ‘Nepal is the country where apostle of peace in the world, Buddha, was born’.

“It is true that Buddhism spread from Nepal to other parts of the world in the subsequent period. The matter remains beyond doubt and controversy and thus cannot be a subject of debate. The entire international community is aware of this,” he added.

Also read: Nepal PM Oli Says ‘Ayodhya’ Was in Nepal; Kathmandu Issues Clarification

In a couple of hours, India issued a statement that put a lid on the controversy, for now.

“EAM’s remarks yesterday at the CII event referred to our shared Buddhist heritage. There is no doubt that Gautam Buddha was born in Lumbini, which is in Nepal,” said MEA spokesperson Anurag Srivastava.

While Nepal’s sensitivity over ownership of Gautama Buddha, the latest friction came in the backdrop of frosty relations between New Delhi and Kathmandu over territorial issues.

In September 2013, then Indian foreign secretary Sujatha Singh had to reiterate publicly that “Buddha was born in Lumbini, which lies in Nepal” during her trip to Nepal.

Around 300 cable operators in Nepal had blocked Zee TV after it had apparently shown in a series that Gautama Buddha had been born in India. There had been street protests and extensive outrage on social media platforms.

Due to the shared culture, Buddhism is not the only point of contention. Last month, Nepal’s prime minister Krishna Prasad Oli had claimed that India had appropriated Lord Rama and that the ‘real’ city of Ayodhya was located in Nepal.

India did not issue an official riposte, but Kathmandu was clearly aware of the political relevance of Lord Rama to the ruling establishment in New Delhi, which led it to issue a “clarification”. “As there have been several myths and references about Shri Ram and the places associated with him, the Prime Minister was simply highlighting the importance of further studies and research of the vast cultural geography the Ramayana represents to obtain facts about Shri Ram, Ramayana and the various places linked to this rich civilisation,” said the statement from the Nepal foreign ministry dated July 14.