Indian minister of state for foreign affairs Rao Inderjit Singh has completed his three-day visit to Nepal after seeking Nepal’s backing for his country’s bid for a permanent berth in the UN Security Council (SC). Nepal, which has already promised support to Japan, is yet to do so in India’s case. A proposal introduced in the UN General Assembly by the G4—India, Germany, Japan and Brazil—seeks to expand the SC from 15 to 25 members by creating six permanent and four non-permanent seats. India, which needs to collect 128 votes, is reported to have received pledges of support from 100 UN members. Should Nepal support India? This question

should be decided after considering several variables, particularly Nepal’s short and long term interests, and also India’s worthiness. Nepal should be guided, above all, by its geopolitical realities and other relations with India than by what other countries do. India might make it to the SC even without Nepal’s support, or not make it despite its vote. Nepal’s decision might prove crucial only in a tight UN vote. In making up its mind, Nepal would therefore be well advised to follow its own example of consistently backing mainland China’s rightful place at the UN. India is a vast country and the largest democracy with over one billion people, besides being a major regional power and an emerging world one.

So in any SC expansion, India cannot be left out. This is acknowledged even by those veto-wielding powers which might not be very enthusiastic at the moment about India’s entry into the SC. A larger SC may not make the UN more effective, but this should not preoccupy Nepal which can do so little to influece the course of the UN. Nobody expects Nepal to vote against India—it is unthinkable. Nepal is unlikely to abstain, too, because abstention would also mean at least some loss of important Indian goodwill without gaining anything at all. So based on all practical considerations, Nepal should not delay pledging its support to India. Many Nepalis are, however, particularly concerned about the prospect of a quid pro quo that the government is reported to be seeking in the form of a softening of Indian attitude towards it, including on the question of democracy. If this happens, it would be sad, as it ignores the interests of the Nepalis whose goodwill India would then risk losing.