Editorial: Go beyond optics

The big challenge before India in its ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy is to repair the strained bilateral ties with Nepal and wean the Himalayan nation away from China’s influence. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s day-long visit to Lord Buddha’s birthplace Lumbini in Nepal on the occasion of Buddha Purnima, the first by an Indian PM, served not just as good optics but reflected India’s eagerness to reset the relationship with the neighbour. The occasion — laying the foundation stone for the India International Centre for Buddhist Culture and Heritage — was clearly intended to convey a message that the shared culture and civilisational links between India and Nepal are far more valuable than the lure of money that China has been pouring into the birthplace of the Buddha located in the heart of Terai region. Close on the heels of reaching out to Sri Lanka and helping it out in its hour of economic and political crisis, New Delhi is now demonstrating its ambition in its neighbourhood in the north — that it will not allow China to expand its sphere of influence in a region it calls its own. Though belated, India has realised the urgency of harnessing the power of its traditional people-to-people links with the region and creating opportunities for enhancing prosperity for the people of the two countries. Under Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, who took charge in July last year, Nepal is now enjoying political stability after being in turmoil for several months due to a fierce power tussle. Encouraged by these favourable conditions, the two nations signed memoranda of understanding (MoUs) on cooperation in the sectors of culture and education.

There is no denying the fact that Kathmandu has, over time, moved closer to Beijing with the latter helping in setting up mega infrastructure projects through financial as well as technical assistance. The age-old friendly relationship between the two neighbours has been on the downslide in recent times over a plethora of issues, including revival of the border dispute. While his predecessor KP Oli was overtly pro-China with a knack for provoking India occasionally, Deuba has been shrewd and even-handed in his dealings with Beijing as well as New Delhi. In fact, Nepal has been quite candid in expressing its apprehensions regarding projects planned or executed under China’s ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Such assertiveness gives greater flexibility for India to step up investments in the Himalayan nation in order to catch up with the Chinese. The onus is now on India to reduce the old ally’s dependence on China through stronger partnerships in fields such as trade, energy, infrastructure development, arts and culture, and education. India’s soft power can give Nepal respite from the Dragon’s overbearing influence. India needs to shed the perception of being a dominating Big Brother and build friendly ties with Nepal based on mutual respect.

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