Sushma Swaraj visit to Nepal laying the foundation for Modi�s Impending Visit

The Indian stock in Nepal is rather peculiar, at Kathmandu, the capital; there is a degree of anti-India feeling among the Nepali elite while the country side has deep feeling for India due to the large number of soldiers who return home from the Gorkha units of Indian Army. Spending the better part of their youth taking pride in their service for India they are firmly nationalist about India, but the Indian diplomatic and political class have not been able to encash on the same. The borders again have the Madhesi people, who are of Indian origin but citizens of Nepal, whom the Nepalese distrust for being pro Indian. The two countries have deep cultural and religious ties, yet with so many similarities there is a feeling of distrust caused by Indian high-handedness. It was this mistrust built up by years of neglect that Sushma Swaraj's visit and Modi’s government is trying to clear. Giving priority to the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Region the Modi-led government has started on a round of hectic political activity. External affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj's visit to Nepal should be seen in this light. She emphasised at every meeting that India’s new government was determined to take the relationship with Nepal to a new level. Did she earn enough trust in a country where the perceived “Indian high-handedness” is a matter of distaste? Has she been able to build positive atmosphere and enough goodwill for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit, scheduled for August? An Indian Prime Minister is due to visit Nepal after a hiatus of nearly seventeen years, till now the visits had been one sided much to Nepal’s political class’ chagrin. The visit had the desired affect it proved that competing narratives with a trust deficit may well become a thing of the past. The competing narratives besides India’s high-handedness are that India interferes in the internal affairs of Nepal and also supports the Madhesi people. The minister did well to take the relationship to a new high, and laid a positive environment for the forth coming visit. One of her statements definitely struck a chord: “India is not the big brother; it is just an elder brother.”

The minister walked her talk by sticking to protocol while meeting Nepali dignitaries and leaders, earlier there had been instances when our ministers in a cavalier manner had breached this protocol. The taste of the pudding lay in the draft agreement on cooperation in the power sector. The Indian suggestion of 100% investment by India was seen as an act of assertiveness by India to monopolize Nepal’s water resources. However, it is to Swaraj’s diplomatic skills that within 72 hours of her departure three major political outfits who were breathing fire prior to her visit changed their stance. These parties consisting of Nepali Congress, CPN-UML and UCPN (Maoist) met at Prime Minister Sushil Koirala's official residence on Tuesday 29 July 2014 and reached an understanding to sign the Power Trade Agreement (PTA) between Nepal and India during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's two-day visit to Nepal on August 3-4.  The mood of the nation was best summed up by a political affairs commentator in Nepal who stated, “The three parties must pay due attention to making an agreement with India on power trade. Both nations must be treated at equal footing with regard to sharing the benefits. They also need to be very cautious for removing any terms and conditions that could affect in our sovereignty and national pride. They must also raise border issues that often times invite bitter relations at people's level. For encouraging stronger ties at people's level, the border issues must be resolved in time. All unequal bi-lateral agreements must also be reviewed during this important visit by Honorable PM of India, Mr. Narendra Modi and path for rectifying such agreements must also be devised”.

The key to the success of the visit lay in the Indian attitude to do business as equals, and India walked the talk with agreeing to re-look the 1950 treaty and reactivation of the Nepal-India Joint Commission after 23 long years. The commission is the highest mechanism overseeing bilateral relations, in all areas of mutual interest while building on the cooperative relations between Nepal and India. The third meeting of the Nepal-India Joint Commission has reiterated the need for reviewing, adjusting and updating the Treaty of Peace and Friendship 1950, reflecting the current realities. It also directed the Foreign Secretaries to make necessary recommendations to that end. It also directed the Nepal-India Boundary Working Group to commence field works at the earliest. As far as defence is concerned the ties remain firm and both sides agreed that they would not anyone else use their respective territory against one another, a large number of anti-India operators have been caught on Nepal’s borders.

One of the highlights of her visit was the fact that she made it clear that India had no favorites in Nepal including the Madhesi people and the constitution writing process and Nepal’s federal structure was best its own affairs. Overall the Minister has paved the way for a successful visit of the Indian Prime Minister for a policy correction is very much needed, and the SAARC must be a region  of peace and economic cooperation.