Nepal drifting towards China? India planning economic sanction?
Balaji Reddy
indiadaily.com
Mar. 25, 2005

Indian Ambassador to Nepal Shiv Shankar Mukherjee has attempted many times to meet Nepal?s King Gyanendra. He has not received permission to the meet the King. In the mean time Chinese Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing is scheduled to visit Kathmandu on next Thursday, March 31.

India is in a difficult situation. The King of Nepal is adamant about maintaining the monarchy without democracy in Nepal. The Nepal Military is also in difficult situation. They need help from Indian Army to fight the Maoists, At the same time India and the rest of the world is determined in seeing Nepal?s democracy back.

Desperate and frustrated India is slowly thinking about economic sanctions against Nepal. Unless China who does not know what democracy is, joins India in scaling Nepal Royal ambitions down, reluctantly Nepal will slowly drift towards China.

King Gyanendra may be actually a shrewd politician. He may have dissolved democracy so that he can directly negotiate with China who is the support pillar for the Maoists. He may be able to strike a deal with the Maoists and bring them back to the political process.

People of Nepal wants democracy. India needs to play a very fine line politics. If they stick to their current position, Royal Nepal may drift towards China but democratic Nepal will always remember India.

On the other hand, King Gyanendra may be totally committed to traditional pro-Indian Nepal. His current action may be to save Nepal from these Maoists by bring in China and solve the problem right at the root.