The political situation in Nepal became unstable early last week with the Maoist Leader Prachanda threatening a split in the coalition government of CPN-UML and UCPN-Maoists. Prime Minister K P Oli was accused of failing to inplement the new Constitution. He has not succeeded in addressing problems relating to Madhesis and speeding up reconstruction after the earthquake over a year ago. Prachanda has decided not to withdraw support but only for the time being. Nepal’s Ambassador to India, Deep Upadhyay has been recalled. He has been accused of trying to topple the Oli Government and cosying up to India.
India is concerned about the possible instability caused by the accord with the Madhesis. This accord is expected to remove the inequalities in the new Nepal Constitution. Delhi has stated that it is not interested in Nepal’s internal developments. Upadhyay’s recall is significant as he was instrumental in improving relations between India and Nepal. So is Kathmandu’s decision to cancel Nepal President Bidhya Devi Bhandari’s visit to India indicative of its present policy? The Nepalese President is known to be very close to India. India should follow Nepal’s attempt to externalise an essentially domestic situation with great interest. Clearly this Himalayan Kingdom has not seen the last of instability which is also reflected in the Government’s attempts to clamp down on the media. Recently Kanak Mani Dikshit a respected journalist who has stood unflinchingly on the side of truth was arrested on very flimsy grounds. He was later released only after international pressure was brought to bear on the Nepal Government. All this does not portend well for democracy.