With violence in Nepal impacting Indian traders and transporters the Indian Government has urged Nepalese leadership to resolve all difference through peaceful negotiations instead of using force. The country is witnessing violent protest in several parts of Nepal along the Indian border after it adopted a new Constitution.
“We are deeply concerned over the incidents of violence resulting in death and injury in regions of Nepal bordering India following the promulgation of Constitution yesterday. Our freight companies and transporters have also voiced complaints about the difficulties they are facing in movement within Nepal and their security concerns, due to the prevailing unrest. We had repeatedly cautioned the political leadership of Nepal to take urgent steps to defuse the tension in these regions. This, if done in a timely manner, could have avoided these serious developments,” said spokesperson for Ministry of External Affairs, Vikas Swarup.
While saying that India has consistently argued that all sections of Nepal must reach a consensus on the political challenges confronting them, the spokesperson added: “The issues facing Nepal are political in nature and cannot be resolved through force. We still hope that initiatives will be taken by Nepal’s leadership to effectively and credibly address the causes underlying the present state of confrontation,” he added.
Meanwhile, India’s envoy to Nepal Ranjit Rae flew down to New Delhi on Monday to brief the Government on the latest situation in Nepal. Rae had spoken to the Nepalese Prime Minister on Sunday to convey India’s concerns over the violent situation.
In New Delhi Nepalese Ambassador to India Deep Kumar Upadhyay maintained that the Constitution takes care of the Hindu sentiments. “Nepal is ethnically diverse, so not possible to make everyone happy... Not only in Terai, there is some kind of reservation, some kind of unhappiness in the mountain region also.” He asserted that “our national animal is still the cow. So, all Hindu sentiments will be covered, it will be covered in the acts (of the Constitution). These kinds of arrangements have been made. People should examine.”