NEW DELHI: Even as China appeared to be entering Nepal’s latest political crisis, India tried to keep a safe distance by saying Thursday that this week’s events in Kathmandu, sparked by Prime Minister KP Oli’s decision to dissolve Parliament , they were internal affairs of Nepal.
In what was its first reaction to the turmoil in Nepal, the Foreign Ministry also said that, as a neighbor and supporter, India will continue to support Nepal and its people to advance on the path of peace, prosperity and development. .
“We have taken note of the recent political events in Nepal. These are internal matters that Nepal must decide according to its democratic process, ”said Anurag Srivastava, MEA spokesperson.
Official sources also said that the crisis that has already seen the ruling Communist Party of Nepal (NCP) effectively divided in two, it is unlikely to stand in the way of India’s development work in Nepal. After Covid-19, and the recent thaw of ties that saw the resumption of bilateral meetings Although disputes persisted on the Kalapani border issue, India had tried to boost its economic and trade ties with Nepal.
Following the visit of Foreign Secretary Harsh Shringla, Trade and Energy Secretaries had also met in quick succession virtually to accelerate work on Indian projects in Nepal. Official sources said bilateral commitments It will continue with Nepal even if it is not high level.
India’s official reaction was in stark contrast to China’s efforts to apparently negotiate a truce between the Oli and PK Dahal. Prachanda factions. Chinese Ambassador Hou Yanqi has so far met with the President of Nepal BD Bhandari and Dahal since Oli dissolved Parliament on Sunday.
A thoughtful leader close to Dahal said on Thursday that the PNC co-chair had discussed “bilateral concerns” with Hou, who has worked tirelessly to avoid a split in the party. The Kathmandu Post quoted a member of the Prachanda secretariat as saying that “the discussions must have revolved around contemporary political developments.”
In May this year and again in July, Hou held a series of meetings with Bhandari, Oli, Dahal, and other PNC leaders when Oli faced pressure to resign.
While China had so far worked to gain support for Oli, its main goal now appears to be to ensure that the communist alliance remains intact heading into next year’s elections.
Several leaders, as the Kathmandu reports said, had called the Chinese envoy’s series of meetings with the ruling party leaders as interference in Nepal’s internal political affairs.
Oli was previously removed from the post of party chairman on Tuesday by a central committee meeting of the Prachanda-led faction, which also decided to take disciplinary action against him for dissolving the House of Representatives “unconstitutionally”.
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