The Influencing Factors Of Nepal-india Relations Alteration In 2015

Geographically a landlocked country Nepal is surrounded on its three sides east,west and south by India and China in north.The plain terrain on its south,hill topography on east and west have made Nepal's easier access to India in comparison to the Himalayas and rugged terrain on north to China's Tibet.Along with its geographic curtailment,Nepal shares almost all identical sentiments with India-culturally,religiously,democratically,and matrimonially.The interlinkages woven by open border,religious faith,commonality of their languages,and matrimonial bond have been supportive to be relations more distinctive and unique.India is the largest trade partner to Nepal.Nepal has two third of its trade with India and almost total trade via India to other third countries.The leverage that given by Nepal's natural resources to India is immeasurable in other side.The Treaty of Peace and Friendship of 1950 has further given outstanding preferences to Indian nationals for their investments on trade and industry and to utilize Nepalis natural resources.This amicable relationship got accelerated further from 2006 onwards as well.But faced crisis in the end of September 2015 when India initiated blockade.The blockade erupted just after the promulgation of the long awaited constitution of Nepal on September 20,2015.The research,hence,has elaborated the ingredients that kept both countries amicable for a long time at first and then moves to elucidate key factors that deteriorated Nepal-India relations in 2015.The research has five chapters.Chapter one deals with introductory part of the study consisting the research background,research proposal,methodology,review of literatures,framework of the research,and research questions.The chapter gives the hints about the subject matter of the thesis and highlights its necessity.The following chapter has presented the genealogy of their deep-rooted relations.These countries have identical base of geography and nature.The cultural and social strings are also intertwined between Nepal and India.The common genealogy of their language from Sanskrit and sharing of the same characters and letters of language have made easier to understand each other.The majority of Hindu,covers more than 80 percent population of both countries share their homogeneous deities,festivities,rites and rituals.The density of traversing countries each year as pilgrimage of both Hindus and Buddhists covers a huge portion of people's flow.The chronicles of Lord Buddha is also interlinked between two countries.People-to people contacts have made much easier due to its almost 1800 km long distance open border that allows free flow of people for religious activities,trade,education,and cultural exchanges.Their matrimonial bond between Nepal and India has also been a hallmark of its unique relations.Likewise,the great contribution of Nepalis soldiers during the colonial period to till now has been a legacy between the countries.Economically India is the sole transit to Nepal and is the largest trade partner.India is the largest foreign direct investor in Nepal and Nepal has also given the priorities to Indian nationals to invest and utilize sources.This chapter further elucidates their relations from their political imminence point of view.The fight for democracy of Nepal and the fight for the decolonization of India shared common ground where Nepalis and Indian leaders fought combining for each other.Indian assistance to democratize Nepal has remained as a milestone since 1950 to present time.The third and fourth chapters explain the modifying factors of their relations that altered in September 2015.There were both some external and internal factors that worsen the situation in that year.The third chapter focuses the internal factors of Nepal which assisted aggravating the relations with India.The first and foremost cause was the political power restructuring in domestic political milieu of Nepal.There were few critical issues which divided the majority hill people to the Madhesi(the plain land dweller,non-Nepali mother tongue people)and few Janajatis(the indigenous people).This division ultimately led into hostility and held binary perception over the advice of Indian establishment.Second,the advice given to the Nepali leaders by Modi's government to be addressed in the Nepal's Constitution,and Indian back-up to the the Madhesi leaders of Nepal deteriorated the situation.This excessive Indian involvement in Nepal's politics hurt Nepalis' sentiment.Similarly,the suspicion,mistrust and the perception kept silent about India by Nepali political elites on the encroachment,on the unbalanced terms and provisions on several treaties and agreements,and the blame of China card by Indians were some ingredients that led into hostility.The consecutive chapter analyzes the external factors that led Nepal-India relations into low.The first and foremost was the 'big brother' psyche of India that exacerbated the relations.The excessive command of dos and don'ts while drafting the constitution of Nepal was an obvious example.Secondly,Modi's ambitious foreign policy of 'neighbourhood first' was breached once his personal suggestions were discarded.The final attempt to redress the constitution by the Indian Foreign Secretary S.Jaishankar went vain which infuriated Modi and his entire team in India.That avoidance of their advice by Nepalis leaders was taken resentfully and put blockade to Nepal.His bulk of advice was discarded,the neighbourhood policy changed into punishing tool in the relationship.Thirdly other regional players compelled India to be involved extremely in Nepal's domestic affairs.The surging presence of China was the foremost threat to Indian establishment on decreasing their role and influence in Nepal.Similarly,increasing support of Pakistan to madrasas along the bordering districts of Nepal,assistances to Indian terrorist groups,and flow of fake Indian currency posed another threat to India.Moreover,the expansions of democratization,strengthening human rights,concern over Tibetan refugees were few other concerns that were to be addressed in Nepal.The western countries(basically the US and the UK)were pushing from back to India to address those concerns in Nepal.These compulsions led India to be excessively engaged in Nepali politics which ultimately veered to unwanted repercussion.The final chapter concludes the ideas of research and also presents some points of recommendations.In conclusion,bound by geography,culture and social norms and values,political dependence,and civilizational ethos,Nepal and India are meant to be no disgraceful to each other.Their imminence is better for their identity,common fate and growth towards prosperity.Their better understandings can accelerate growth,sentiments of togetherness,peace and security.Thus,their civilizational unity,deep-rooted ancient bond has the only one option-either prosper or self-destruct together.