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Journalism of Courage
Developments in India have been so dramatic over the last few weeks that it has almost eclipsed the raw display of power simultaneously enacted in Nepal’s capital.
Forty eight hours before External Affairs Minister K Natwar Singh arrived in Kathmandu today, King Gyanendra and the warring political parties arrived at a truce: Sher Bahadur Deuba, the man sacked by the King two years ago after being declared ‘‘incompetent’’, was once again named Prime Minister of Nepal.
Urging the ‘‘restoration of political stability’’ in Nepal, Natwar Singh today told Deuba and Gyanendra that unless the constitutional forces of the monarchy and political parties joined hands, they would not be able to tackle the growing power of the Maoist insurgents across the Nepalese countryside.
It was a simple message, one that New Delhi had often repeated to Kathmandu over the last couple of years. But in a region so dominated by the India-Pakistan imbroglio, the Nepalese slide into chaos often escaped attention.
Singh’s decision to journey to Kathmandu, even for a mere 24 hours, seems to have not only helped Nepal refocus on its priorities, but also signal to the international community that New Delhi was not willing to let the fire burn forever in its front yard.
New Delhi’s overwhelming concern stems from the long and porous border that the two states share, allowing Maoist insurgents to not only slip across and take shelter in India, but also provide assistance and support to India’s own Naxalite groups, especially in Bihar, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh.
Singh’s meeting with the King, which lasted for over an hour and at which his son and the Crown Prince Paras was also present, was said to have been an exercise in ‘‘friendship and cordiality.’’
The minister made use of the opportunity to tell him that the Maoist insurgency was a ‘‘shared problem,’’ and that ‘‘unless there is a much better information exchange and cooperation’’ between India and Nepal, ‘‘it would be very difficult to tackle the problem.’’
India’s ambassador to Nepal Shyam Saran told journalists that Singh had impressed upon Deuba and Gyanendra that New Delhi would continue its ongoing cooperation in military, political and economic spheres and provide as much assistance as Kathmandu wanted.
Interestingly, some political parties like Madhav Nepal’s Communist Party believe that if they now join Deuba’s government in a show of representative and multi-party support, India’s CPI and CPM will not only approve but will also push the Manmohan Singh government to keep the bilateral pace with Nepal.
Nepal’s party seems especially keen that New Delhi implement its promises on the water-sharing and power generation made by the Mahakali Treaty seven years ago.
Sources here also said that Singh emphasised to Deuba that the Congress government would not let down its friends and partners in Nepal, and would definitely aim at establishing a ‘‘better relationship’’ than the previous NDA government.
Saran frankly admitted that there was ‘‘a confidence gap’’ that had been created between the King and the political parties in recent times, but said he hoped that this was a thing of the past.
‘‘We hope with the appointment of the Prime Minister, this is the beginning of a process which will culminate in a multi-party government. The appointment brings to an end the vacuum and the political uncertainty that had emerged,’’ Saran said.
