As the political crisis in Nepal deepens, the tug-of-war between India and China over the Hindu nation intensifies

There has been a tug of war between India and China over Nepal, India’s neighbor to the north, whose unique position has rival economies vying for their attention.

While Beijing sees Nepal as a bulwark against the “international movement against China”, for New Delhi the Hindu nation is important for the security of the region, a buffer, so to speak, against China, and for maintaining its sphere of influence. .

The latest reports of the political crisis in the Himalayan Hindu nation mean that both opposing forces are likely to redouble their efforts to ensure that the new leadership, whoever it is, is on their side and not the enemy’s.

According to a report by Hindustan Times, China has already started efforts with Hou Yanqi, China’s ambassador to Nepal, on Tuesday evening, meeting with Nepalese President Bidya Devi Bhandari at the Shital Niwas presidential palace.

Although the exact details of the meeting are unknown, reports claimed it had ended COVID-19 Vaccines: Hou’s visit is crucial as it came just two days after Bhandari dissolved the Nepalese Parliament on the recommendation of Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli.

Oli, 68, reportedly recommended the move because of friction within the Communist Party of Nepal, which made it difficult for him to govern.

Oli became prime minister after his Communist Party of Nepal won the elections three years ago. Oli’s party and the party of the former Maoist rebels had merged to form a strong communist party to win the elections.

However, there has been a power struggle between Oli and the leader of the former Maoist rebels, Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda, 66, who is also co-chair of the NCP. Oli has refused to succeed him as prime minister or head the party, causing problems within the party.

While Oli did not name Prachanda or New Delhi on Sunday, it was clear that he blamed them for the current political crisis. According to My republic, Oli addressed lawmakers close to him on Sunday, saying he was forced to make the decision to dissolve Parliament after he was “cornered” within his party and conspiracies were hatched against him in collusion with national and international forces. .

“We have to apologize to the people and go to a new election because we could not deliver what we had promised,” Oli told lawmakers, according to PTI.

In the past, Oli has accused India of trying to oust him from power after the country’s parliament approved a new map of Nepal, which included the areas of Lipulekh, Kalapani and Limpiyadhura that India maintains belongs to it.

Anti-India rhetoric has been a major element of Oli’s nationalist campaign, which brought the CPN to power in 2018, and has found various stakeholders in the Himalayan nation. But, in recent years, anti-India rhetoric has advanced to the military level. Under Oli, Nepal has gone so far as to increase the Nepalese army presence on the border alongside India, including opening a border post near Kalapani.

On Sunday, Oli replayed the India card, saying he “fell victim to increasing national pride by publishing a map with the inclusion of Kalapani and Lipulekh.”

According to a report by The Kathmandu PostOver the past few months, China, and most importantly, Hou, played a crucial role in preventing a split within the Communist Party of Nepal or a dissolution of the Oli government.

In fact, in late April and early May 2020, Hou had avoided the collapse of the government by holding back-to-back talks with PNC leaders, including Oli and Prachanda, and senior leader Madhav Nepal. This unit, however, was short-lived, as two months later, the faction led by Prachanda returned demanding Oli’s resignation.

Although Oli’s pro-China stance makes one believe that Beijing would prefer Oli over Prachanda, and Oli may have the Chinese blessing for dissolution, according to an article in The diplomatChina really has no preference as to who runs the government.

Kathmandu-based political analyst Chandra Dev Bhatta said The diplomat Recently, after the political change in Nepal in 2008, “China has been penetrating both Nepalese politics and society.” In fact, it was China that united the UML and Maoist factions of the Communist Party of Nepal in 2018.

The growing Chinese influence meant that India got a cold shoulder, especially with Oli at the helm.

After months of cold, Nepal had started to warm up to India for the past three months after several high-level visits. The first was in October by the head of RAW, Samang Goel, followed by the Chief of the Army General Staff, General MM Naravane (November 4), and lastly by visits from the Indian Foreign Secretary, Harsh Vardhan Shringla, that same month.

Shringla had flown to Kathmandu just two days before China’s Defense Minister and State Councilor Wei Fenghe visited the Himalayan nation. China, through Ambassador Hou, already has unlimited access to Nepalese leaders, including Nepalese President Bidya Devi Bhandari and rival Communist Party of Nepal leaders Oli and Prachanda.

Indeed, in the past, Nepalese President Bhandari has met with Hou without officials from the Nepalese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, violating the diplomatic code of conduct.

Nepalese voters are scheduled to elect a new government in April-May, although the fate of these elections remains uncertain. A constitutional court of the Supreme Court of Nepal will begin hearing at least a dozen petitions challenging the dissolution of the Parliament of Nepal on Friday.

In a cautious reaction to political developments in Nepal, India on Thursday called Oli’s decision to dissolve parliament and call new elections an “internal matter” that the country must decide according to its democratic processes.

“We have noted the recent political developments in Nepal. These are internal matters that Nepal must decide according to its democratic processes,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Anurag Srivastava told a news conference.

“As a neighbor and supporter, India will continue to support Nepal and its people to advance on the path of peace, prosperity and development,” he said.

However, since Beijing does not keep its influence over Nepalese politicians a secret, New Delhi is unlikely to hold back to ensure Kathmandu remains an ally and part of its sphere of influence. Even more so since China is entering the territory of Nepal.

Under Oli, China has occupied strategic lands in 11 locations in Nepal. “About 36 hectares of land in four districts of Nepal, which border China, have been illegally occupied by China, but so far the Nepalese government has not said,” according to a report in Statesman.

India would not want someone who is not sympathetic to its security concerns and that too in its sphere of influence, but at the same time, India should also pay attention to Nepal’s core economic and strategic interests that pushed Nepal into China in the first place. .

With inputs from agencies