India’s Marshall Plan to control Nepal -Remain alert O! Yeh! Nepalese ! India is coming in a disguised way! Thursday May 25 2006 17:42:00 PM BDT Sudha, Nepal AFTER the recent 19-day political movement in Nepal ended according to its roadmap thus bringing Nepal’s politics under its political umbrella, India has now announced an economic roadmap to also bring Nepal’s economy under its economic control that its was already there. Within days of the political movement ending according to its will, India announced various projects for Nepal, and dubbed it as India’s Himalayan Marshal Plan. According to India watchers, New Delhi devised the Marshal Plan for Nepal feeling ‘sorry’ for the plight of the Nepalese and its brethren in Nepal. The plan is said to be the brainchild of the troika appointed by Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh—special envoy of the Indian government Dr. Karan Singh, Indian Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran and India’s National Security Adviser MK Naravanan. The troika have already approved the plan from the Indian prime minister. Under the plan India is willing to spend as much as Rs. 12 billion in Nepal. This is a completely different plan from the regular Indian assistance. India is defending its Nepal plan arguing as democratic polity cannot sustain without economic development, India has realized its responsibility towards Nepal to sustain and stabilize democratic system in Nepal. But this has again proved India’s evil intention of undermining or even taking over Nepalese sovereignty by working to make the Nepalese people’s aspiration for democracy in its favour. After it has succeeded in treading the political parties and even the king to walk on its roadmap, India does not want the people’s opinion to go against it. What India wants is to make all - the political parties, king and the people in Nepal - to dance to its tunes. The façade of India’s Himalayan Marshal Plan looks pretty attractive. Those who have got the hint of the plan said it includes building east-west railway, expansion of postal roads, linking all districts, which do not have road access, in the road network, construction of oil pipeline from Barelli to Kathmandu through Amlekhgunj and providing Nepal with cash and loan to reduce Nepal’s trade deficit with India. But if one looks at the real intention of the announcement of the plan without consulting Nepal and its publicity of early implementation, it is clear that India is not even treating Nepal as its State, but putting Nepal at even lower rank—its center administered areas. But it is an irony and paradox that nobody here is giving much of a thought to the Indian propaganda and publicity. If one looks at the past Indian ventures in Nepal such as the Koshi and Gandaki projects, Tribhuvan and Siddhartha Highways, Industrial Estate and airport in Rajbiraj all Indian projects in Nepal have either failed altogether or have become white elephants or are more bothersome than boons. Those who have worked in Indian-made projects or have looked into those projects say that the newly announced projects will not be different from the earlier doomed projects. Already planners here say several projects, announced by India such as the Bir Hospital expansion project, Dolalghat-Dhankuta Road project and expansion of Janakpur-Jayanagar Railway, could remain on paper and in announcements only. Nonetheless India has succeeded its political roadmap in Nepal and is now on the second phase of pushing its economic roadmap to bring Nepal completely under its economic and political control. But even if the political parties have surrendered themselves and the King has cowed down before India, India’s domination, the so called will not be acceptable to the Nepalese, who are true nationalist. Nepalese people will come out and oppose India’s new hegemonic face under the guise of a new democratic nation, which it is not in effect.