Kathmandu of its envoy to India is on the face of it an internal affair of Nepal, but the circumstances that have come to be associated with the decision have a bearing on India-Nepal relations. Ambassador Deep Kumar Upadhyay was unceremoniously asked to report back amid allegations that he had escorted his Indian counterpoint in Nepal to meet the agitating Madhesis. Implicit in this was the baseless accusation that New Delhi had fuelled and encouraged the Madhesis community to rebel against certain provisions of the new Constitution of Nepal and had crafted the blockade of vehicles carrying essential items such as fuel products from the Indian side into Nepal. The Nepalese envoy has already rubbished the charge and there is no reason to disbelieve him.
Upadhyay’s recall also came in the wake of Nepal’s decision to defer the announced visit of its President to India, well after the process to receive the President had been set in motion by the Indian side. This was clearly a rebuff New Delhi did not deserve and Nepal cannot explain away, except by acknowledging that it was a petty move. It’s obvious that the KP Sharma Oli Government has lost the plot, both internally and with regard to relations with India. Perhaps he believes that his belligerence will give him breathing space because he is all but set to be shown the door in the very near future. He has demonstrated a baffling lack of statesmanship by working to damage ties with a country that has stood by Nepal through thick and thin and with the hope of consolidating his position. Upadhyay’s only crime was that he had sought to put India-Nepal relations on a sound footing and was opposed to measures (such as the deferment of his President’s visit to India) at a time when the ties were already strained. It is apparent that the Oli regime viewed Upadhyay as a suspect also because he belongs to the opposition Nepali Congress. This shows the level to which the new regime is willing to go to spite India.
Kathmandu of its envoy to India is on the face of it an internal affair of Nepal, but the circumstances that have come to be associated with the decision have a bearing on India-Nepal relations. Ambassador Deep Kumar Upadhyay was unceremoniously asked to report back amid allegations that he had escorted his Indian counterpoint in Nepal to meet the agitating Madhesis. Implicit in this was the baseless accusation that New Delhi had fuelled and encouraged the Madhesis community to rebel against certain provisions of the new Constitution of Nepal and had crafted the blockade of vehicles carrying essential items such as fuel products from the Indian side into Nepal. The Nepalese envoy has already rubbished the charge and there is no reason to disbelieve him.
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