KATHMANDU, NEPAL, November 6, 2015 (New York Times, by Akhilesh Upadhyay, editor in chief of The Kathmandu Post): Just before the annual festival season began across Nepal last month, nearly a decade after a civil war, and six months after a catastrophic earthquake, the country ushered in a new constitution. Ideally, its long-awaited arrival would have brought relief, if not celebration to my fellow citizens. Instead, the new charter has thrown the country into violent turmoil and a confrontation with India over its contents. With little recourse or leverage in the region, Nepal has often given in to its powerful neighbor’s demands; this time, it has responded to India’s interference by warming up to its rival, China. That’s a smart move on Nepal’s part, but one it has to make carefully between two powerful neighbors.
The constitution was passed this September. It was supposed to enshrine equality for women and historically marginalized groups, but many people in this country of 28 million insist that it does none of these things. Tensions are especially high in Nepal’s southern plains, called the Terai, which run along most of the roughly 680-mile porous border with India. They make up more than 30 percent of the population, but feel severely underrepresented in the new constitution, which they believe entrenches the interests of the so-called high-hill caste groups who have long dominated Nepal’s politics.
To signal its unhappiness with the Constitution, India has responded with an “unofficial” blockade of goods on its side of the border, a breathtaking intrusion upon our sovereignty. It blames the protesters for the shutdown. In reality, by denying Nepali people their sustenance, India is exerting pressure on a government it has historically been able to manipulate. New Delhi would be wise to acknowledge the lengths to which China could go to strengthen its influence in Nepal. It should know that while its coercive tactics may allow it to influence political circles here, it will not earn it friends anywhere and could push Kathmandu even closer to Beijing.