Shortly after India’s premier intelligence agency, Research and Analysis Wing chief’s visit to Nepal, conspiracies to topple Nepal’s prime minister (KP Sharma Oli) blossomed into full swing. Out of courtesy, Oli did not unfurl Nepal’s new map before him. However, he did not heed RAW chief; Samant Kumar Goel’s muffled threats, couched as give-and-take either.
The RAW chief reminded Oli that Nepal’s economy can’t survive without financial injections from India. He told him that the pension bill for 1, 27.000 pensioners (90,000 defence, 77,000 para-military, and the rest civil) is about Indian Rs. 4,600 crore (Nepali Rs. 3601.81 crore). The pensions alone larger tan Nepal’s annual defence budget.
Earlier India’s external affairs minister’s visit to Nepal, also, proved of no avail. Nepal went on to enact a map over-riding India’s annexation of Nepalese territories into Indian Union (Pithoragarh distrfict of Utturkhand). The annexed territories are Kalapani, Lipulekh, and Limpiyadhura.
Conspiracies: To topple Oli’s government, Indian embassy in Nepal had been bankrolling venal politicians. India is grooming opposition leader Prachanda as Mr. Oli’s replacement. Prachanda had been former prime minister and Communist Party president. Opposition coterie, led by Prachanda had a meeting in a hotel to chalk out a strategy. They later called upon Oli to resign or face division of the Communist Party.
Oli debunked India’s conspiracies during a ceremony to commemorate sixty-ninth anniversary of the Party’s popular leader Madan Bandari. Oli “accused India of trying to destabilize his government” and alleged “Indian embassy in Nepal was conspiring about the same”/ He claimed, `Conspiracies were being plotted against him since the constitutional Nepali map amendment’. He added, `There is an open race to remove me from the post. No-one thought that a prime minister would be removed from office for printing a map’.
Be it observed that Nepal amended its map when its objections fell flat on India. India’s defence minister Rajnath Singh went ahead to inaugurate an 80-kilometer-long road connecting the Lipulekh Pass in Nepal with Darchula in Uttarkhand (India). To add insult to injury, Indian army chief insinuated that Oli was being prodded by China against India.
How India incited Opposition: Oli had won elections on anti-India plank. The opposition, at India’s stimulus, alleged that Oli was too obsequious before the RAW chief. He did not dare display even the new map.
India’s ongoing annexation: Besides annexing the three new territories, India had already annexed 14000 hectares (140 km square) of territories in Susta, Tribeni Susta, Lumbini Zone, nearf Nichlaul (Uttar Pradesh)
Nepal’s reaction: Nepal being no match for India could not stop India by use of force. But, to express its ennui, it printed 4000 copies of the updated version of the new map and distributed it to India, United Nations, and also Google. Additional 25,000 copies of the map were distributed throughout Nepal.
Threatened treaties: Under unrelenting pressure from India and internal opposition, Nepal’s prime minister Oli had to take some steps to assure the electorate that he is still anti-India. He may revoke or amend two important treaties with India. One is the 1950 Peace and Friendship Treaty. It has ten clauses with four relating to foreign relations. The second treaty is the Tripartite Treaty between India Nepal and Britain allowing Gorkha Recruitment in Indian and British army.
The Gorkha in the Indian army: India currently has seven Gorkha regiments. Each regiment is organized into five or six infantry battalions. Indian army had 39 Gorkha Infantry Battalions composed of two-third Nepal soldiers and one third Indian.
Gorkha fought well in India’s post-independence wars (Indo-Pak 1965, 1971 and 1999 Kargil War, besides 1962 Sino-Indian War and peace keeping mission in Sri Lanka. Their battle cry is jai maha kali, ayo gorkhali. Three Indian army chiefs (SHEJ Manekshaw, Dilbri Singh and Bipin Rawat) served with Gorkha Rifles.
During the 1962 war with China, Major Dhan Singh Thapa died fighting. He did not act upon Chinese soldiers’ advice that he should return to his native land as Chinese were up against India not Nepal. When Gorkha returned to Nepal they were hooted all along the way as mercenaries. The Gorkha Brigade represents about 40,000 Indian and Nepali Gorkha soldiers as about 90,000 Indian-army pensioners in Nepal.
Conclusion: India’s secret koota yuddha (unethical warfare) and maya yuddha (war by stratagems) reflects its ambition to emerge as a regional bully. Like Gorkha, the Sikh are also uneasy as is evident from anti-slogans shouted in Golden Temple. Indian army has 32000 officers of which five per cent are the Sikh. Gorkha and Sikh disenchantment could weaken India’s military capability.
India uses its coercive diplomacy to compel its weaker neighbours to toe Indian line. For instance, it blockaded transit trade to Nepal. As such Nepal had to fall back upon China for its economic needs. India forced Nepal to grant citizenship to Indians illegally residing in Nepal.
Nepali citizens have right to apply for recruitment in Indian armed forces or civil services.Yet they hate India and find more comfortable with China as an ally.
