PRIME Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Nepal was a great success. Delhi had neglected the Himalayan neighbour for a long time. Nepal’s youth did not regard India with enthusiasm. Modi’s promise of making friends with neighbours had held out hope. In his speech at the Constituent Assembly and by mingling with the people in the streets of Kathmandu, he gave his visit a magic touch and wiped the slate significantly. In the Constituent Assembly, Modi dispelled fears in Nepal that the BJP government might back the restoration of a Hindu monarchy. He made it clear that India would not interfere with the domestic consensus in favour of a federal, democratic republic. He stressed the need for Nepal drafting a Constitution urgently. He praised Nepal for choosing the path of peace and kept an equidistance from the Nepali Congress, the UML, the Maoists and the Rashtriya Prajatantra Party. Madhesis were asked to give up divisive politics. Maoist leader Prachanda hailed the visit.
Modi not only backed the absolute sovereignty of Nepal but also eradicated the fear of India among Nepal’s political elite. During the last decade of turmoil in Nepal, Delhi had failed to plant trust in Kathmandu. Narendra Modi took a significant step by offering to revise the 1950 India Nepal Treaty which created the impression in Nepal that India had a big brotherly attitude. He also spoke of shared economic prosperity through development of trans-border connectivity, agriculture, tourism and hydroelectric power. He offered a concessional line of credit of $ 1 billion which Nepal could invest in priority national projects. Of course, pious noises do not produce lasting results. There is need for an effective institutional mechanism to turn hope into reality.
