(TibetanReview.net, Nov18’24) –Nepal’s ruling coalition partner CPN-UML has condemned remarks made by former prime minister and the CPN (Maoist Centre) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal regarding Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli’s upcoming visit to China. The issue arises from the fact that the planned trip is a departure from the established tradition where the Prime Minister first visits the country’s historical ally India after assuming office.
In an interview with Indian newspaper The Hindu earlier this week, Dahal claimed that Oli was “playing the China card” in relation to his planned trip, noted the kathmandupost.com Nov 16.
Oli is scheduled to make a five-day official visit to China from Dec 2 to 6 at the invitation of his Chinese counterpart, Li Qiang, although an official announcement is awaited, the report said.
Oli’s breach of tradition was also covered in an indianexpress.com report on Nov 3, and it was not clear whether he had received an invitation from India before approaching Beijing for his China trip.
The kathmandupost.com report cited the ruling UML party as calling Dahal’s accusation “baseless, irresponsible, and damaging to Nepal’s sovereignty and foreign policy”.
“Nepal does not require external approval for its diplomatic relations,” UML Secretary Raghubir Mahaseth, who also heads the party’s foreign affairs department, has said in a statement. He has maintained that Oli’s visit is a reflection of Nepal’s independent foreign policy, not a “card diplomacy” as Dahal suggested.
The UML was also stated to have stressed the importance of maintaining balanced relationships with both India and China for Nepal’s development and prosperity. The party has warned that Dahal’s comments could jeopardise Nepal’s strong and equitable ties with both nations.
Oli is seen as the most pro-China of Nepali leaders and has on occasions taken pot-shots at New Delhi, including during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The UML statement was further cited as saying Dahal’s comments undermined Nepal’s sovereignty and national pride, suggesting Dahal was “using political manoeuvres that compromise the nation’s integrity.”
Still, many have described Oli’s decision to go to China in his first bilateral visit after assuming office in mid-July as his preference for the northern neighbour and fear the move may irk the southern neighbour, the report noted.
In general, Nepali prime ministers traditionally chose New Delhi as their first bilateral visit after assuming the office, the report added.
“We are a sovereign nation and we have never said that we won’t visit India,” Oli himself was quoted as saying. “We choose to go where it is convenient.”
Dahal led a collation government with Oli’s UML until he was ousted when the latter ditched it to partner with Nepali Congress and other, small parties in mid-July this year.
Meanwhile, amid reports of discord within the UML leadership, Dahal has expressed confidence that his party will be back in power again.
“Our party is the government in waiting. The government that will be formed by overthrowing this one will be ours, so there is nothing to worry about,” english.khabarhub.com Nov 16 quoted him as saying, speaking at a meeting of the Maoists’ Kavre-Kathmandu Liaison Committee that day.