Kathmandu, June 8
A scholar at the Indian government’s defence think tank says India now wants to engage with the prime minister of Nepal notwithstanding which party they represent and the policy will continue even after KP Sharma Oli.
Nihar R Nayak, a research fellow at Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, tells Onlinekhabar in a brief interview that claims that New Delhi wanted to retain Oli as the prime minister were not true.
“Why are they blaming India? Can they prove their point [that India made Oli the PM again]?” Nayak questions, “With due respect, I request them to prove it.”
“Instead, India has a policy that it will work together with the party that people in any country elect to rule. This applies not only to Oli but to all parties including the Nepali Congress and CPN-Maoist Centre,” he continues, “This is a visible change in India’s neighbourhood policy.”
Nonetheless, Nayak maintains India has currently felt that it can take advantages of Nepal as long as Oli is in power. “Maybe India has also realised that it was not Oli but other political parties which put pressure on the government to issue the new political map,” he claims, “Later, because of Oli, the issue has subsided. It is a diplomatic win of India.”
