- Basanta Bhujel
At first glance, India has no choice but to maintain friendship with Nepal as a good neighbor. But neighboring ally India is at odds with Nepal. What is this conflict for? The question has become very complicated. India does not have to wait many years to become a superpower while maintaining good friendship with Nepal, but the conflict with Nepal is making India even poorer. This is a fact visible to the naked eye. But why is India irritating Nepal? Aren’t the superpowers, the United States and the superpower China, infiltrating India’s government and encouraging conflict with its neighbors? Are the nations trying to entrap India in the conflict with its neighbors? The Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi does not seem to be aware of this. After all, India’s relations with a neighboring country are not good.
India has more than half a dozen of neighboring countries, but of these half a dozen, Nepal’s position is special. India is bounded on the east, west and south. The border is open. There is a relationship of bread and butter at the citizen level. Language religion and culture are the same. So irritating Nepalis is like getting a wound in the heart for India. Nepalis have provided border security with Pakistan and China.
Similarly, Nepal’s geography is in itself a border guard with China. This was repeatedly explained by Jawaharlal Nehru. He said, “If we want to develop good relations with Nepal, there is no military threat to India from China. Nepal can play a role as a shield.” But the current Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi does not seem to understand this.
Nepal has immense water resources. There are valuable minerals and herbs. There are vigilant people. There are world heritages like Lumbini, Everest, Janakpur. That is why India is jealous. The Indian government believes that if Nepal can be made Sikkim, it can become a superpower by using all its resources. But is it possible to make Nepal another Sikkim? Not possible at all. Sikkim is a small territory with a population of 500,000, whose history was not new. There are more than 100 countries in the world with smaller geography than Nepal. In terms of population, Nepal is on the list of 30-32 countries in the world. Similarly, the Nepal National Army has an important role to play in maintaining peace in the world. The United Nations has named the Nepal National Army as the most reliable army. Similarly, many countries of the world have given priority to Nepalis in their army and police.
Nepal’s diplomatic relations have also expanded to many countries of the world. China, a northern neighbor, has placed Nepal on its list of important neighbors, while the United States, a world power, has made Nepal’s relations a top priority. The US has double the manpower in the embassies of India and China. Similarly, the United States has been appointing diplomats of higher status than China and India as ambassadors to Nepal. Therefore, the thought that Nepal can be eaten, swallowed is a curse for the neighboring country India, that is, the path of collapse. Let India not choose the path of its own downfall. Why and how did the Soviet Union collapse in the past? India must keep that in mind. The Soviet Union had become a superpower. The United States had little left to do, but it began to spend large sums of money on expansionism and hegemony. In the process, the Soviet Union became impoverished. After that it was divided into 14 pieces.
Isn’t India in the same direction now? For example, less than a year has passed since the Kashmiri people were deprived of their special rights. During this period, India’s defense budget has increased by 25 percent. In line with that budget, India’s economic growth rate has fallen from 7 percent to 5 percent. About 2 million troops are stationed in Kashmir. For how many years will Kashmir have to be controlled by the army? That is not the end. Nepal cannot be compared to Kashmir. India’s total budget is not enough to take Nepal under military control. If Modi dares to do so, the war of independence will start in the states of southern India. They are looking for opportunities. Attempts at secession in half a dozen states, including Punjab and Assam, have spread like wildfire. If there were no Gorkhalis in the Indian Army, these states would have already disintegrated. Jawaharlal Nehru had taken classes for about 15 days to continue the Gurkha army when the British left India. But the current Prime Minister Modi does not seem to understand this reality.
What kind of devastation arises due to the pride of money and power? That has been seen in many countries in the past. The Prime Minister of India should learn a lesson from Hitler of Germany, Saddam Hussein of Iraq and Suleiman of Iran. Expansionist joy is fleeting. It is important for a superpower-oriented country like India to learn the lessons of sustainable development and economic balance. Let’s learn this lesson from China.
The current Corona problem is just a small sample. Many more dangerous weapons of mass destruction have been invented. That is NBC (Nuclear Biological Chemical). If this reservoir explodes for any reason, the world could collapse. The very existence of the human race can end. At that time, money, money and power do not matter.
(The author Bhujel is a retired engineer from the British Army)
(Translated by: Aakriti Pandey)
