National 1 (Spotlight Weekly)

Confusion and Contradiction

Some influential Indian scholars are working to destabilize India-friendly forces in Nepal

By A CORRESPONDENT

Although South Block mandarins regularly reiterate India's support for political stability in Nepal, at least in the media, scholars and think tanks close to them are busy provoking statements against the kingdom.

If the opinions by Indian scholar S.D. Muni, regarded as an influential person in South Block on policy toward Nepal, carried in the People's Review of April 10-16, are any indication, they show how warped Indian attitude toward the kingdom is.

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According to People's Review, Muni, a professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi, has drawn the conclusion that Nepal is a difficult neighbor to deal with due to its own complexity. At a seminar organized by the Observer Research Foundation, an NGO close to South Block, Professor Muni went on to assert that constitutional monarchy and democracy are not compatible and thus cannot go together in Nepal.

Professor Muni holds the view that Prime Minister Lokendra Chand is a close aide to the Royal Palace, has no credibility, failed completely even during Panchayat regime and is known best for his anti-India feeling. His attitude toward the Royal Nepalese Army (RNA) is similarly hostile. Professor Muni draws the conclusion that the RNA has completely failed to deliver any result; so far they have proved just good for UN peacekeeping jobs, ignoring his own country's security forces' failure to quell insurgency from Assam to Kashmir.

The RNA's difficulties to quell the ideologically guided Maoists are understandable, but how about India's strong security forces' failure to book a common criminal like sandalwood smuggler Veerappan?

Some Nepalese scholars are also harping Muni's point of view through seminars and discussions and newspaper writings. Some of these scholars also influence the minds of dozens of Nepali Congress leaders, including Girija Prasad Koirala, on matters relating to the monarchy and the army. Nepalese politicians representing the mainstream political parties are now advancing anti-monarchy and anti-army statements consistent with Muni's.

"If India were to have a couple of more scholars like S.D. Muni, its enemy states wouldn't have to work out any plan to challenge Indian interest in Nepal," said a foreign relations expert.

The institution of monarchy and army have culturally and historically maintained a friendly attitude toward India. King Gyanendra's 10-day visit to holy sites in India underscored the depths of the religious bonds Nepal's monarchy has with India. Why did not King Gyanendra choose another pilgrimage to the north of the Himalayas?
The army, too, has been a traditional friend of India. India's chief of the army staff is an honorary general of the RNA. Such links are an inseparable reality between the peoples of India and Nepal.

"It seems that scholars like Muni are working to discredit the monarchy and the army, religiously and culturally India's closest institutions," said an analyst. Since the democratic forces are already weakened and are being used to discredit the traditional institutions, one does not have to think hard to discover who would stand to gain from the volatile and anarchical situation in Nepal over the long term.

At a time when India's official establishment is reiterating the need to maintain strong and friendly relations with Nepal, Muni and other Indian scholars are sending destructive messages to Nepal.

"Muni and his colleagues' anti-Nepal attitude are understandable, as they are not there to take a pro-Nepalese stand. But nobody understands the reason behind their anti-Indian statements. How would destabilizing institutions that maintain friendly attitudes toward India help Indians?" said an analyst.

When Indian diplomats in Nepal are making every effort to convince Nepalese that they will support Nepal's quest for progress and prosperity, Professor Muni's attitudes destroy all these efforts and create space for India's enemy. As eminent Indian jurist Nani A. Palkhivala wrote in his article "Redesigning India for the Twenty-first Century" compiled in the book "We the Nation": "The greatest enemy of India today is not Pakistan or China, but Indian themselves. No enemy can possibly weaken the country so effectively as Indians can."