Anand Swaroop Varma, the editor of Teesri Duniya, with open sympathy for the radical Left, including the Maoists, sent out a clear message through his column that the support that Narendra Modi has been able to draw in Nepal is the latest version of what used to be called “Sikkimisation” in the years following Sikkim’s merger with India in 1975. Varma’s influence on Indian policy in Nepal, especially after 2005, ultimately led to the Maoists being brought to the centrestage of Nepali politics and the monarchy’s overthrow.
Independent observers of the peace and the failed constitution-making process over the last eight years have often said Nepalese actors post-2006 were frequently taking dictates from the Indian bureaucracy. But there were no critical voices from the Indian side about how far it ought to get into Nepal’s internal politics. It is, however, true that Modi has been criticised by many in Nepal this time round, unlike in August when he addressed the Constituent Assembly and indicated that his government would be more involved in Nepal’s industrial and economic growth.
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