Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba’s state visit to India has received attention on almost all op-ed pages of broadsheet dailies published in Kathmandu on Tuesday.
Time to modernise ties with India
In his lead article for Republica, Bishal Thapa says Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba needs to take steps to modernise Nepal’s approach to India. He says that although New Delhi is talking about a ‘New India’, Nepal’s outlook on India remains firmly glued to the past.
He says that Nepali politicians can easily attribute any incident to India, the people believe what the politicians say. The biggest problem in India-Nepal ties is that Nepal does not empathise with India, the relationship is rather akin to that between a patron and a beneficiary. He argues that an India that has overcome poverty, deep-rooted social exclusion and weak institutions is in the interest of Nepal.
He concludes by saying that the idea of an ‘equidistant’ relationship with India and China is not going to work. Nepal should reach out to whoever it wants, whenever it wants. But for that to happen Nepal needs to be clear on what it wants.
The issue of Madhesh during PM’s visit
Advocate Dipendra Jha, in his piece for Kantipur, says Madheshi forces in Nepal do not hold position of influence in Nepal and that is why the importance India accords to them is lesser than before. He says that India wants the ruling coalition in Nepal to continue because if the UML comes to power it will try to use the ‘China card’ and that is something India does not want, especially as the standoff in Doklam continues.
Jha says that if India remains mum on the Madhesh issue during the Prime Minister’s visit, it would imply that New Delhi accepts that it was wrong to help the Madheshi’s enforce a blockade in Nepal. If India wants to portray itself as a staunch advocate of social justice, it needs to speak up on the issue.
The visit and the floods
In his lead article for Annapurna Post, Homnath Dahal says Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba must talk to his Indian counterpart about the floods that have become frequent in southern Nepal. He also calls on the Prime Minister to talk to New Delhi about implementation of past agreements.
Ajeet Doval and his influence on Modi
Keshav Prasad Bhattarai, in his piece for Annapurna Post, says the Nepali people want to see a Modi that they received in Kathmandu in August 2014. He says that the Indian side should also think of how such a ‘Modi’ can be made available to Nepal.
Bhattarai says Modi’s foreign policy is heavily guided by the Doval Doctrine propounded by spymaster and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval. He says that the Doval Doctrine places national security at the centre of India’s foreign policy, and this is hurting its ties with neighbours such as Nepal.
