Wednesday, February 7, 2007

Second Impression

Outgoing Ambassador Shiv Shanker Mukherjee might talk any thing under the sun on the soft-attitude towards Nepal; however, things have always proved to be otherwise. This is not only with Ambassador Mukherjee, but practically with all of his predecessors. Not only this, be it Jawahar Lal Nehru to Murarjee Desai, Bajpayee and more recently Sonia’s Prime Minister, Dr. Singh, all tal on the same line. But look the tryst of destiny, Nepal’s destiny is being charted by them. My august readers, well versed in the Nepal-India relations, understand this fact better and thus it needed no elaboration.

In more ways than one, India has always twisted our arms either by corrupting Nepal’s political paraphernalia or by flexing her muscles as and when India so desired. Be it 1989 March 23 economic blockades that changed King Birendra’s regime or one could the recent examples of how King Gyanedra was thrown to the oblivion. Who supported India in those and these days is any body’s guess. But why India supported our leaders then and now, obviously, is any body’s guess. Many more Tanakpurs are in the offing…..and many land grab cases are pending. Take it for granted.

Ear pleasing lectures, articulate speeches and the likes have become the hallmarks of Indian diplomacy vis-à-vis Nepal. However, when it comes to the crunch, India has managed and secured every time political benefits for her either by fomenting unrest or even by changes in the regime, if one were to recall.

A joke of the highest order, politically speaking, I think must be printed here so that my august readers could understand what India is or was.

Look at what an interim Indian prime minister, I.K.Gajurel-the most sober one and an intellectual type personality who had made “lovely” comments on Nepal as back as in 1996 and to be more precise on September 23 that year. It was his famous address at the Royal Institute of International Affairs, RIIA, Chatham House, London.

Look how sympathetic he appears towards Nepal. “As you know, the Indo-Nepal relations are historically unique. We have open borders and Nepal’s citizens are free to live and work in India. With the just endorsed Mahakali Treaty, the Indo-Nepal relationship has covered more mileage. India will continue to work with Nepal more or less on Nepal’s own terms stress added”.

Gujaral has tried to tell his audience in London that, firstly, Nepalese are only living in India but not the India nationals in Nepal; secondly, he has tried to send a message to the world that the border opens only to his country which makes the Nepalese to enter to India. Thirdly, he talks, in his own words, India would deal with Nepal on Nepal’s “own terms” and gives the impression that India loved Nepal like a baby and would do whatever she can to keep the baby in good stead. However, what is the fact underneath all these either the intellectuals know or at best the foreign ministry officials who negotiated with India since then know. Add to this the arm slanting that the Nepali leaders’ might have felt at time of the negotiation. Nepalese geographers know better as to which places in the country the boundary demarcation pillars have vanished in the process of caring the suckling baby. Jor Ka Dhakka dhire se lagey.

At some another point the sober intellectual, a kind soul says that “ with neighbors like Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh, Maldives and Sri Lanka, India does not ask for “reciprocity” but gives all that it can in good faith and trust”.

This was then publicized as Gujral Doctrine which, to me, died a premature and natural death. It had to meet that fate because the South Block mandarins having the colonial mindsets who were the ones to execute what their prime minister had said did not like the very intention of their own prime minister and hence the Gujaral doctrine was short lived. As usual, India continued to adopt the Nehruvian doctrine which has it that “send love to the neighbors and bring them under the Indian umbrella. If they retaliate change the regime”.

India and non-reciprocity could be a preeminent cruel comic story. These two do not run in parallel. If it did come into existence one day in the future, I will love to resign from my profession instantly. (See for Gujaral’s Chatham House speech Bharat Samachar December 1996 issue)-ed.

My experience with the Indian Ambassador beginning Narendra Jain some where around 1969 and till today is a mixed one. Jain was a poet who used to make me to listen to his poems as and when he invited me to his embassy in the early 70s. Rasgotra, Ram Chandra Deo, Sinha , Dev Mukherjee and Bimal Sri Vastava were typical diplomats with different leanings. Ambassador Mukherjee on my personal request handed over a small bus to a Budanilkantha school run by the Bengali from Calcutta-Swami Chandresh. The school is still using the bus to collect and drop the poor students from the vicinity.

Rumors had it that Bimal Prasad was the one lanky Gandhian essence who spent more time in Koirala’s official residence than Koirala himself when the latter was the prime minister in the mid 1990s.

Some Indian envoys tried to better the bilateral relations. However, the others who succeeded them disfigured their predecessors’ effort. Ambassador Rajan could be cited as one example who tried his best to put in strength to our bilateral ties. Rajan even pronounced at a SAARC Journalists forum sponsored talk program in Biratnagar that there should be ten points, later I coined it as ten-commandments, to regulate Nepal-India ties. It was Ambassador Rajan who first time pronounced that South Block too should change its mindset towards Nepal.

The ten points he reiterated, I will print some other day for I am the witness to what he said in Biratnagar or some one interested might ask Rajan which the ten points were to guide the bilateral ties.

Those who have replaced him, for example, Shyam Saran and the present one, have in more ways than one damaged the cordiality that existed in between Nepal and India.

How Shyam Saran maneuvered with Nepali politics was there for all to see. His hob-nob with the Maoists in New Delhi is an open secret now. And how and why the present Indian envoy enters into the official residence of our prime minister every now and then is also not a secret now.

A chronological order of his entrance into Baluatar and the events that have instantly followed in the country will perhaps tell the real tale of these telling sad events that have of late plagued Nepal.

Nepalese people possess profound love for the Indian people and expect the same from the other camp. What is disturbing is that the posted envoys at times make us to feel the otherwise. Or else we have adequate love and respect for the Indian brothers and sisters. That’s all.