It is a slow crawl back to normal. The relationship between India and Nepal may be much warmer, but China is not out of the picture yet. Nepal Foreign Minister Pradeep Kumar Gyawali, in his visit to India, made it clear that India is not Nepal's only choice.
“Amity with all and animosity with none,'' said Gyawali, in his address at the Raisina Dialogue 2019. “India and Nepal can work together towards common progress and prosperity, better physical connectivity and greater people-to-people connection.”
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Connectivity, a need for Nepal especially, figured prominently in the discussion between Gyawali and his Indian counterpart Sushma Swaraj. India has promised to deliver many projects that criss-cross the country. From a railway line that connects Raxaul, on the Indian border to Nepal, to inland waterways to facilitate cargo movement to upgradation of roads, India has an ambitious plan for Nepal. The construction of the rail links is to try and counter Nepal's dependency on China. Especially, as Nepal has become part of China's Belt and Road initiative.
There was focus on the connectivity projects. The two ministers reviewed the “progress achieved on the three transformative initiatives launched in 2018 in the areas of agriculture, railways and inland waterways as well as pace of implementation of ongoing bilateral development and connectivity projects. They expressed satisfaction at the significant progress made in different sectors of cooperation as a result of intensified bilateral exchanges at all levels in recent months,'' a statement issued by the MEA stated.
The shadow of the dragon looms large over the Himalayan country. The shift of position—a softening as it were—started with Prime Minister K.P Oli. This gradual movement towards China, and maintaining a balance with India, is an assertion of Nepal wanting to try an independent role. “Remember, we have remained independent throughout history, including during the colonial period,'' said Gyawali. He also made it clear that Nepal did not want to be a military alliance.
So, far Nepal is doing just that. For India, this is a rejig of relations. A more independent Nepal under Oli, has meant that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has had to do more wooing. And this shall continue, as Gyawali said Nepal was looking for a “partnership'' with its neighbours. India, will need to deliver on its word with connectivity projects, if it does not want to be a weaker partner.
