Surprisingly, the RSP has been blindly supporting Balen. On this ground the opposition parties' demands ranging from an apology to the resignation of the Premier do not appear wide off the mark
The Parliament was virtually up in flames when Prime Minister Balen Shah said that it was not only India but also Nepal that has encroached neighbouring territory in response to a question by Aaren Rai, a parliamentarian representing the Shrama Sanskriti Party. He further said that consultations were being held with the England Government, a misnomer, meaning with Britain as India was a colony of Britain then known as British India. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs came to the rescue of the Prime Minister saying that he was referring to the occupation of land on no man's land, which is routine on the long southern border. The opposition has, however, condemned the statement of the Prime Minister, saying that it has made the position of Nepal very weak despite the strong one it had prior to this unfortunate statement.
This statement of the Prime Minister has certainly brought cheers in the Indian camp, particularly to the likes of Kirti Azad, a cricketer and a former Member of Parliament. He had made a controversial statement in 2015 in which he had said that 15 districts of Nepal, including Janakpur, should be returned to India. He was in fact referring to the four districts Banke, Bardia, Kailali, and Kanchanpur which were restored to Nepal under the Nepal-Britain Treaty of 1860. Also known as Naya Muluk, they were given back to Nepal after it helped British India quell the Indian Sepoy mutiny through the mobilisation of the Nepali Army led by Junga Bahadur Rana, the Prime Minister of Nepal.
Though the Indian Government has not yet reacted to the Premier's remark about Indian territory encroachment, it has outrightly rejected his proposal of the involvement of a third party. This was made public during the spectacular visit of Rabi Lamichhane, president of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), who was accorded an unprecedented welcome compared to the visiting Nepali leaders in the past.
Many Nepalis also believe that the India-Nepal border dispute should be solved through bilateral talks and diplomacy, thus ruling out the involvement of a third party. The RSP patched up Balen's statement saying that he was referring to the possible cooperation of Britain in securing old documents.
It may be remembered that the territory east of the Mahakali River was accepted as Nepali land after the signing of the treaty of Sugauli on March 4, 1816 following a war between Nepal and British India in 1814. Accordingly, the people of this area paid taxes to Bom Shah, a Nepali courtier, which was endorsed by the Acting Chief Secretary Azam in 1817. People of this area had taken part in the 1958 general election in Nepal. In addition, a census of this area was carried out by Bhairab Risal in 1961.
Later, 18 Indian check posts were stationed along the Nepal-China border under Prime Minister Matrika Prasad Koirala to reduce the number of military personnel. However, 17 of them were removed during the premiership of Kirti Nidhi Bista in 1969. The 18th one, located in Kalapani, was untouched after a request made by the Indian Government showing its convenient position in guarding the Indo-Chinese border. The Indian Army has, however, continued to occupy this area to the present.
The Indo-Nepali relation reached its lowest ebb after the Indian Premier decided to begin Indo-China trade through the Lipulek pass during his 2015 visit to China. The inauguration of a road through this territory by the Defense Minister of India, Raj Narain Singh, further aggravated the situation. Nepal sent a diplomatic note as a sign of protest, but India turned a deaf ear to it.
Nepal was dealt with a double blow after India entered into an agreement with China towards using this road for bilateral trade as well as pilgrimage during the visit of President XI to India. Nepal again protested and wrote to China. Its spokesperson had said that it would look into the matter if Nepal presents authentic documents. But later China made a volte-face saying that it is a bilateral matter between India and Nepal.
India and China opened the trade and pilgrimage route through the territory claimed by Nepal without informing it. The government of Balen Shah sent yet another diplomatic note, to which India has responded by saying all border disputes would be solved through diplomacy and dialogue.
In such circumstances, Sharat Singh Bhandari, then the Minister of Defense, had to resign in 2011 after he said that 22 districts of Nepal may cede to India if their grievances remained unaddressed. Similarly, when Sarita Giri, a parliamentarian opposed the publication of the pointed map of Nepal made through a unanimous decision of the Parliament, she was expelled from her Janata Samajbadi party in 2020.
Surprisingly, the RSP has been blindly supporting Balen. On this ground the opposition parties' demands ranging from an apology to the resignation of the Premier do not appear wide off the mark. The Prime Minister should grab the offer of the opposition to make an apologetic statement in the Parliament. The ad-hoc clearance of the encroached land, the walk-out during the President's address, the continued absence in the Parliament, the appointment of a junior person as the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and now this unfortunate statement have all acted against him. Balen should improve his performance instead of driving himself further to the top of the political cliff, the return from which may be impossible.
