External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj told the Rajya Sabha Thursday that India proposes to send an all-party delegation to Nepal, with which ties are at an all-time low.
External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj told the Rajya Sabha Thursday that India proposes to send an all-party delegation to Nepal, with which ties are at an all-time low. The minister reiterated India hadn’t imposed any blockade on that country and was trying to re-route supplies via all available routes, including by air.
“India’s only interest is in a peaceful, united and stable Nepal and our approach to the present crisis is completely consistent with these objectives,” Ms Swaraj told the Upper House. She said the present state of confrontation in Nepal must be addressed credibly and effectively by all political parties and the people there. “There has been the broadest goodwill for Nepal in India and full political consensus on our policy. In that tradition, I would urge the House to consider the merits of a visit to Nepal by an all-party delegation. The government will be guided by the sentiments of the House,” she said.
Talking of the disruption in supplies from India to Nepal, Ms Swaraj said “contrary to some canards, there is no blockade by India” and any obstructions caused are by the Nepalese people, that is beyond India’s control. She said India helping re-route stranded petrol and lubricant tankers and vehicles with medical supplies thr-ough other crossing points, as well as through airlifts.
Speaking on a calling attention motion moved by Pavan Varma (JD-U), who said the matter was extremely serious, Ms Swaraj said: “But there are logistical constraints and the best remedy remains a political solution, leading to the end of the agitation.”
The minister suggested the debate be converted into a short-duration discussion after several members felt too little time was allotted for the debate. The Chair agreed after taking into account the sense of the House.
Ms Swaraj said India had advised Nepal’s top political leadership of tangible solutions to end the looming crisis. “Regrettably, these cautions passed unheeded,” she said, adding that India had always stood for a peaceful end to Nepal’s ongoing political transition after decades of instability and violence and has at the request of Nepali political parties actively facilitated that process for early promulgation of a broad-based, inclusive and durable Constitution.
She asserted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call for a consensus and broad-based ownership, conveyed during his two visits to Nepal in August and November 2014, was strongly and consistently conveyed by India, both before and after the draft Constitution was put out for public consultations from June to August 2015. “Our advice was reiterated on several occasions... I personally reemphasised our advice during my visit to Nepal in June 2015, and the Prime Minister restated it during his phone conversation with PM Sushil Koirala in August 2015.
“Our ambassador in Kathmandu was also in regular touch with Nepali political parties in this matter. Therefore, any suggestion that our position lacked clarity or that there was lack of engagement simply has no basis,” she said.
The external affairs minister said India’s foreign secretary had also travelled to Nepal on September 18 and 19 as the PM’s special envoy and advised the Nepalese leadership on some tangible solutions to end the looming crisis.
