India gifts vehicles to Nepal

How are the Madhesi’s effecting Indo-Nepalese relations?

On the 1^st of May 2017, the Indian Government handed 35 double cabin pickups, 7 Scorpio jeeps, 4 Sedan cars, one each of sports utility vehicles, a mini and micro bus as well as 30 Pulsar motorcycles to Nepal for use during the local level elections which will be held in the country on the 14^th of May 2017. Indian Ambassador to Nepal Manjeev Singh Puri donated vehicles worth 90 million Nepalese Rupees to the election commissioner of Nepal, Mr. Ayodhi Prasad. 86 vehicles were given on the request of the Nepali government. China has also helped Nepal by providing ballot boxes, thus helping them to conduct elections after twenty years.

Nepal, the next door neighbor of India

Partition between India and Nepal is an open boundary, people of the two nations come and go freely. Nepal is a land locked country with India on three sides and China on the northern border. The Terai region of Nepal begins at the Indian border. The Madhesi’s are Nepal’s Terai region community which have culturally akin to Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh, with frequent inter- marriages between families on either side of the border.  They have melded into the Indian population along the border, but the government is confused as to what direction to take with them. Instability in our neighboring country and on the border, could have an adverse effect on us, which can be seen in the case of Pakistan.

How have the Madhesi’s been treated?

In 2015, Indian and Nepali ties had deteriorated after the issue of the Madhesis. In September 2015, Nepal adopted its fifth constitution which divided Nepal into 7 provinces. The Madhesi’s were divided among five provinces without having a majority in any.  Also, delineation of electoral constituencies in the terai was not done based on population. The new Constitution stated that the children of Nepali woman married to foreigners will not get Nepali citizenship. Marriages between Indians and Nepalis were very common. Democracy in India had kept levels of political awareness high among them, and they felt injustice was done to them in the Constitution. The Indian government asked Nepal to readdress its concerns for the Madhesis, but Nepal believed that the Madhesis were loyal to India and were being used by it to control their nation.  Since no action was taken to protect their interests, the Madhesis created the Nepal Blockade, blocking the land route joining India and Nepal. Following this, Nepal played a pro China card and reduced its dependency on India. Imports from China were increased through a railway link built between the two countries.

Assessment

The Nepali government misinterpreted the act of the Madhesis as an initiative of the Indian Government. Narendra Modi has given personal investment of resources, time and energy for the bilateral trade with Nepal to restore back healthy relations between the nations. Apart from promising assistance in polls, Modi has assured all support to achieve peace, stability and socio-economic transformation of Nepal.  Nepal being an under developed country needs help to progress, which it will reciprocate in future when it is in a stronger economic position. On the other hand, giving huge amount of money to other countries as donation is not acceptable in a case where 50% of your own countrymen cannot afford two meals per day.