India-Nepal Relations: Why did PM Modi not meet Nepali Foreign Minister?

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India-Nepal-Relations

Why was there no meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Nepal Foreign Minister Pradeep Kumar Giwali?

Opinions are divided in the diplomatic circles of India and Nepal about this.

But there was agreement among analysts in both the countries that at least the two countries agreed to negotiate the dispute arising on the border and the map after the visit of the Foreign Minister of Nepal.

The visit of Gwali is considered interesting in itself, that just before coming to India, the Prime Minister of Nepal KP Sharma Oli had said that he wants to bring the area of 370 square kilometers of Kalapani, Lipulekh, and Limpiyadhura under Nepal.

What did oli say in the upper house?

Oli gave this statement while addressing the upper house of his Parliament, that is, the National Assembly, and said that he wants to resolve the matter only through dialogue with India.

But the events before this were such that Oli had recommended the dissolution of Parliament and re-election which has been accepted by the President of Nepal, Bidya Devi Bhandari.

Oli has always been considered one of the leaders speaking against India, and it has been recognized in India’s diplomatic circles that he is more inclined towards China.

On the day he was addressing the upper house of his Parliament, Oli had said, “Some people blame me only for the deteriorating relationship with India. Should I lick my lips about important issues?” “

Why did PM Modi not meet?

However, there was no specific interest in diplomatic circles in India regarding the visit of Givali. Manoj Joshi, a foreign affairs expert, and senior journalist, giving the possible reasons for this, told the BBC that now Nepal has also indicated that the boundary dispute will be resolved not by rhetoric but by negotiation.

As far as the meeting of Prime Minister Modi is not concerned, Joshi says that it is to be remembered that now the government representing which Giwali has come to India, that government has to gain the confidence of its Parliament which is not because Parliament is in a suspended state.

Harsh V Pant, a strategic affairs expert and professor of King’s College, London, says that India will not gain anything by talking to Gianwali as there is a doubt on whether his government will remain in Nepal after April or not.

Also read: How important is Nepal’s Foreign Minister‘s visit to India?

Pant says that until the legitimacy of the government of a country is established, even special results of negotiations cannot be achieved.

He says that Nepal had wrongly tied the role of Gowali to India. According to him, before the visit of Gwali to India, Nepal Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli should have abstained from the way he targeted India.

This is the reason why India also made it clear in the Joint Commission meeting that Nepal should clarify its position on the first map i.e. the map which it has issued with the reference of Kalapani, Lipulekh, and Limpiyadhura After that, India told the foreign minister of Nepal to talk about the dispute over the border.

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