One doesn’t have to look far for proof that politics makes for strange bedfellows. After feuding with Nepal’s Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli (for much of last year) over his claims to Kalapani and playing footsie with China, India now appears to have put all its eggs in the same Oli basket.
In this chat on StratNews Global, Amish Raj Mulmi, author and commentator based in Kathmandu, says that for a while there was the sense that India was content with its infra projects in Nepal including the oil pipeline in the east. But now there is a growing perception that India is not unhappy with Oli and persuaded some of the Madhesis to drop their opposition to him. The swing in favour of Oli comes at a time when the Nepali Supreme Court is expected to rule on the constitutionality of Oli’s recent actions including the dissolution of the House of Representatives.
Mulmi’s sense is that India has become a wild card in Nepali politics with its every action or statement interpreted in every way possible.
China has some setbacks and is seeking to consolidate its political position, giving one million doses of the Sinopharm covid vaccine. So even if politically on the backfoot, China is seen to be leveraging its other strengths As for China’s infrastructure projects, Mulmi believes it’s “more hype than reality” for various reasons.
More in this short chat with Amish Raj Mulmi, author and commentator from Nepal
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