INDIA CAUSES HUMANITARIAN CRISIS IN NEPAL (Satis Shroff)

Art  (c) satisshroff

INDIA CAUSES HUMANITARIAN CRISIS IN LANDLOCKED NEPAL (Satis Shroff)

It was Paul Watzlawick who said: ‘One cannot not communicate. Neither can one not learn or develop oneself. The art of diplomacy, ethical and social engagement is always a learn process for one’s development. By not taking the Indo-Nepal border issue seriously, India’s PM Modi, a professed Hindu, has chosen the the path of indifference towards its small neighbor. The border problem has been caused by Lowlanders (Madeshisis) living on the Indian side of the border. Due to PM Modis inaction and indifference, he has let the border situation escalate instead of taking measures to deescalate the situation between the two neighbouring countries.

In the past Rajiv Gandhi blundered in the Trade and Transit issue between India and Nepal, and also in Sri Lanka. PM Modi is going down in history as the man with diplomatic incapability as he let the Indo-Nepal issue deteriorate, instead of using the Hindu-card to improve cordial and cooperative cultural ties.

There was a discrepance between what PM Modi demands from Nepal, namely constitutional changes, and what he himself practices in his own country, where women still take to the streets to demand and struggle for their rights. A society where bride-burning for dowry-reasons, gang raping of female tourists and Indian students is tolerated by the law, where Muslims have to fear the BJP agitators and hotheads. Nepal’s bid for democracy cannot be thrwarted by present politics.

‘I know not what it means

That I am so sad’

Runs an old poem German fairytale about the Lorelei from the ballad written by Clemensvon Brentano 1799. We use these words to describe when we don’t know the behavior or decision of someone (in this case PM Modi) and shake our heads in disbelief.

 The fact that Nepal has refusal to remain a Hindu state is a good thing because Nepal is no longer a Himalayan Kingdom and has a new, democratic constitution. India took this step when it gained its independence in 1947 and because a secular democracy, albiet on paper. India's BJP, which supports the current PM Modi has a longing for Hindustan, which is a thing of the past, because there are also Muslims, Jains, Sikhs and through colonialism in the past a good measure of Anglo-Indians (Christians).

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's inability to influence landlocked Nepal in plainly evident, despite the two high-profile visits, stirring speeches, liberal economics and earthquake diplomacy. Nepal finds itself in transition and due to the decade long conflict in Nepal, the society is also changing. The humanitarian crisis caused by the Indian blockade along the southern border is something that the Nepalese as a nation will find hard to forget. PM Modi and his advisers should act immediately to alleviate the supply shortages and general misery caused by the stubborn blockade on the part of India. 

Books by Satis Shroff

A great nation is judged by the way it treats smaller nations. Es tut mir Leid, I see no evidence of greatness on the part of India and its present politican ruler.