No, Nepal isn't the most beautiful state of India

A leading Bollywood actress of the 90s (still a Diva on the small screen) – famously said on a FM Channel live interview in Kathmandu: “Nepal is the most beautiful state of India’’. She had to be escorted out through the back gate of the hotel in Lazimpat and put on the next flight to Delhi. Then there was  Sahib Singh Verma, who in trying to elaborate on his close ties with the people of Nepal  said - both my cook and watchman are from Nepal. After the so-called Hrithik Roshan riots - the actor was quoted as saying - how can I say anything abusive about Nepalis ? I was brought up by a Nepali Nanny. Anecdotes of such insensitive gaffes by Indians abound – which are unpardonable and not funny even in retrospect.

I have a special affinity for Nepal having lived there for some years during its most tumultuous period between the late 90s and early 200s – that saw Maoists insurgency at its peak, the Royal Massacre, IC-814 hijacking and the anti-India riots.  There is a long-standing joke among expatriates  in Nepal – “You cry twice. Once when you arrive in Kathmandu and next  only when you are leaving’’ – in between you spend, what could probably be, some of the best years of your life. So, when we moved back to India – we carried with us precious memories and left behind many good friends – who have graciously made us a part of their extended family.  Thanks to Social Media –  a virtual cosy club has emerged with an eclectic band of members - ranging from corporate executives, business honchos, bankers ,  diplomats, journalists  and quite a few embassy officials (from the ‘’other side’’ as they were discreetly referred to) who later went onto occupy very senior positions in their ‘’parent’’ services back home. Then there is always the common watering hole in Delhi – the IIC Bar – where one regularly runs into visiting Nepali politicians and journalists.

Here I must hasten to add – before I’m branded as an honorary member of the “Kathmandu Elite’’ – my experience and network wasn’t limited to the “Valley’’ alone.  Unlike – most Indians who seldom venture beyond Pokhara and Dhulikhel  - as a friend who later rose to the highest office in Delhi’s CGO Complex  off Lodi Road used to joke – being an itinerant  salesman I had to cover (sometimes on foot)  regions from distant Baglung in the West, remote Palpa in the middle  to Dhankuta in the  East. - My factory was plonk in the heart of Terai – in the Maoists infested belt of Makwanpur District bordering Chitwan.  So – though I don’t claim to be a ‘Nepal expert’ – my connections with the erstwhile “Himalayan Kingdom’’ still run quite deep.

My first lesson upon landing in Kathmandu came from a peer in a multi-national company. “Nepalis love everything Indian except Indians’’, he told me. At the ground level I saw that in my business itself. Our company products that poured across the border from India sold at a premium. Whereas, same brands manufactured in Nepal - with identical formulation and packaging - by subsidiaries of Indian companies were not preferred. (We were able to overcome this marketing challenge over a period – but that’s a different story.) As one drives into town from the Kathmandu  airport – it is impossible to miss the grand Birendra International Convention Centre (now turned into a make-shift Constitutional Assembly House)  – “gifted to the People of Nepal’’ – by their northern neighbours (China).  Adding to the chaotic traffic are LPG operated eco-friendly mini public transport vehicles – another visible example of Chinese generosity. The Nepalis are football fanatics.  The Earth-quake resistant Kathmandu Stadium which China helped build originally for the SAARC games but now used mostly for Soccer – still stands firm even after many adjoining structures were damaged by the recent quakes. Intelligent interventions, that helps China get huge PR bang for its yuans. In contrast, one would be hard put to find any prominent landmark of Indian make – though I am sure India outspends China by many times over in Nepal by way of aid and financial assistance.

Raising this with the Indian establishment would always elicit a defensive response - such as ''do you know every 2 Rupees out of 3 in Nepal come from India ?" and rattle out statistics about how much is doled out by way of Gorkha pension alone. Therein lies the rub of big-brotherly arrogance (and, a sense of entitlement). Also there is the mandatory reference to the famous East-West between Kankarbhitta in the East to Banbasa (Uttarkhand) in the West - undoubtedly an excellent road. Ask the Nepali - who'd tell you how India exercised its veto power to keep out all foreign bidders (including China) - on the plea of the strategic significance of the road so close to the

border - and then took years to complete job using out-dated construction practices of Indian CPWD contractors. The underlying sub-text being the Chinese would have done a faster and better - it was a deliberate attempt to delay the project as India doesn't really care for Nepal's development.

I once asked an Indian Ambassador - why are the Nepalese so anti-Indians when most of their leaders have studied and even lived in India for long periods. He chuckled at my naiveté and said - ''You know all the Afghans who went to study in Soviet Russia came back as anti-Russian''. That notwithstanding still there's a queue at the Indian Embassy to secure admission in Indian colleges. Many candidates are taken at the recommendation of politicians - as favour (while there are also rumours about ''selling'' of seats by junior embassy staff). But, that doesn't help soften either the politicians or the students towards India - after their return from India.

The general attitude of Nepali-s is - whatever India does for us is in their own interest ( a small price for securing its borders) and is our birth-right. This was manifest during the recent Earthquake Relief Mission. But, what China and other countries do - is ''without strings attached'' and, therefore, deserves of recognition and reciprocation in kind.

Indian diplomats are the most sought after set for politicians in Kathmandu. The ''Minister'' of the Consular Section is an all season favourite, especially so before elections - for reasons not difficult to understand. It is said, Nepal is - perhaps - the only country where the Indian Ambassador can feel like the US Ambassador in a 3rd world country. But, how much clout they actually wield is matter of debate.

One Ambassador - who had served in neighbouring SAARC countries told me - it's most difficult to operate in Nepal because there is no clear and consistent (and, often, not coherent)  policy towards Nepal. Too many interest groups try to influence India's position in Nepal. Apart from politicians (of them the strongest lobby is, obviously from Bihar and UP) - within the government itself 4 channels operate simultaneously - namely MEA, MHA (IB) and PMO (read R&AW) and Army (Military Intelligence - not necessarily on the same wavelength. But, the most meddlesome he thought was a group - which he called the ''Feudacracy''. These were the so called ''Royals'' from India - who had strong links in Nepal through marriage ties. Therefore, one Station Head of R&AW - with an earthy sense of humour would often quip - ''We, of course, always act in India's best interest''. But, does India know what are its interests ?''.

Till now - if one asked a Nepali friend - which was the biggest flashpoint - in the history of Indo-Nepal relationship - most would say the 1989-90 blockade - the trigger for which they believe was the alleged incident of the then Indian PM's Christian Wife (Italian) refused entry into the Pashupatinath temple. Now, there will be a new ''blockade'' to talk about for years to come - unintentionally wiping out not just the memories of the Congress era but also the goodwill generated by Narendra Modi's  - "Nepal ka Dard, Hamara Dard'' - visit.

Article first published in @DailyO_ Click here to read original article and readers'comments

Making haste slowly - 200 days of Modi Sarkar

I was unapologetic about rooting for Narendra Modi  through his Prime Ministerial campaign – though I don’t consider myself to be either a ‘Bhakt’ , as Modi fans are snidely called, or a "Hindutva" die-hard.  Now even after 7 months of his Premiership I still believe he is the best  we could have had.  However, in the same vein, I am not an unqualified supporter of the BJP. In fact, one of the reason for my admiring Modi is that he has been trying to reinvent and re-engineer the BJP for the 21^st century – while the Congress and other regional parties have been regressing under the pressure of pseudo socialism, dynastic and identity politics.

Looking back,  I am not at all disappointed with what the Modi government has achieved in 200 days.   Modi’s foreign policy initiatives were well calibrated, as he realized establishing his profile globally would be essential for him to be the leader of an aspiring super-power.  Besides, he needed to build personal rapport and strike a chemistry with his international peers – given the negative image over-hand  he was burdened with (unfairly, I believe).  The criticism about his foreign tours, I think – were more out of envy and for outsmarting both his predecessors and the self-appointed foreign policy specialists of the country.

Also I don’t think much more could have been achieved on the internal front. The quiet progress made on governance – improvement in the government’s work culture, empowerment of the bureaucracy and building of business confidence have gone largely unnoticed by the domestic constituency obsessed with big ticket reforms.  Far from being cynical, I see merit in his ‘making haste slowly’ and even appreciate the so called “U-turns” in policy – which only shows his courage to accept mistakes and eschew election rhetoric  to do what is right for the country and the economy.

Contrary to what popular commentators (for whom there is only Left or Right and nothing in-between) and the opposition still recovering from psychological trauma after their total rout would like us to believe – those who voted for Modi – do not necessarily see him as a Messiah with a magic wand. Credit them with the minimum intelligence to differentiate between election rhetoric and what is practical in a real politik. Therefore,  much to their disappointment,  #Modi is still high on the ratings in post-poll satisfaction surveys.  If further proof were needed, look at the by-poll results of Jharkhand and even J&K.  On the global front – he has made his mark - and  world leaders are falling over each other trying  to woo him. Successive studies have placed him at the top or near the top of the pecking order of high performing leaders in the world today.

Difficult decisions have also been taken keeping them below the radar.  Be it rise in railway fare or neutralizing some of the reduction in oil bills through additional excise duty. His critics have in hindsight seen merit in the way the WTO negotiations were handled. After a lot of deft maneuvering through choppy political waters - the government seems close to passing GST and Insurance sector reforms. Private sector participation in Defence equipment Manufacture and PPP in Railways already cleared. 

While leading foreign policy from the front (as any Prime Minister ought to do) – he has been making good use of Sushma Swaraj in opening parallel fronts (eg with Vietnam and SAARC Countries) and even co-opting the President in Diplomacy. Though not exactly in the realm of "external affairs", holding elections in J & K was hugely significant from a strategic perspective.

The lot getting restless are the industrialists and businessmen who expected quick returns and  the large Lutyens’ Delhi community of media folks and self-styled left-lib intellectuals – feeling ignored by the new dispensation. The latter especially should realize – governments aren’t made or unmade at the India International Centre. Even foreign investors and governments are more patient and willing to give the new regime to settle down and get over the carry-forward legacies of the UPA as well as the present political dynamics before pumping  gas on  the accelerator.

But, my disappointment with Modi lies elsewhere.  Before, the elections – he had loftily said : to win elections you need a majority but to run the country you need everyone’s support. This indicated that he would seek a more inclusive and bipartisan approach to governance. Then came his famous – act of touching  the ground before entering parliament for the first time - calling it the temple of democracy. But,  this spirit has been less evident  in the style he has displayed so far.

Let’s start with the Government first. The unseemly rush to replace UPA appointed Governors was avoidable – especially where professionals (retired bureaucrats or intelligence officers)  with proven track-record were holding the posts and had just a few months of their terms left.  This was followed by the LOP (Leader of Opposition) controversy – where certainly Modi could have shown more grace and a spirit of accommodation. Similarly, one might ask if they really needed to rush through the judicial reforms bill ?

One can always argue these are minor dots in the life of a regime, which are easily forgotten. But, it does sully the atmosphere and made the Prime Minister lose some of the initial goodwill with which he could have started his Parliamentary innings. But, perhaps, it was necessary to send out some early signals that this government won’t be a push-over.

Next was the stand-off with Shiv Sena in Maharashtra. Surely the Thackerays had to be shown their place but the snub was too hard and for far too long. Abject humiliation – even of an enemy doesn’t help – even if the old adage of grace in victory is now passé.

Obviously, Modi and Amit Shah are working with a road-map and blue-print – which only the 2 of them know and even the RSS can only guess. Part of the plan must be to take advantage of this neo-Hindutva wave and establish a pan-India presence for BJP. Therefore, the vengeance with which the Modi-Shah duo is going into hitherto uncharted territories like Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, North East and even J & K – shows they want to free themselves from the clutches of a handful of regional satraps and opportunistic allies.  

Personally, I don’t worry too much about the antics of the so-called “fringe elements”. It’s only a matter of time before Modi brings them under control, like he did with Togadia in Gujarat, as he settles his equations with the RSS. Therefore, winning these states with low RSS presence would also be key to his establishing an unquestionable supremacy. For me – the bigger irritants and distractions are Modi’s own trusted Ministers like Smriti Irani making news for the wrong reasons such as declaring Christmas as “Good Governance Day”. And, I wish he didn’t have to yield to RSS and party pressure in making some patently inappropriate choice of ministers. But, concerns voiced by the self-appointed guardians of democracy – that “secularism” and India’s plurality is at stake are both exaggerated and alarmist.

I would argue that – even if it were not for these ‘red-herrings’ , a recalcitrant opposition would find other excuses for disrupting governance. But, they can continue to do only for a sort while more till BJP populates the Rajya Sabha with their own members from the newly ‘conquered’ provinces.

Till then the government needs to stay its course and carry on with the development agenda – steadily, even if a bit slowly.