South Asia and Beyond

Parties And Politicians Seek ‘Return To Hindu Rashtra’

Sixteen years after Nepal became a secular nation, discarding a Hindu tradition going back to 2000 BCE, demands that the country return to its saffron roots are being heard. Some members of the Nepali Congress (ruling in alliance with the Maoists), launched a signature campaign with the aim of winning the backing of the Mahasamiti, the […]Read More

Nepal’s Ruling Coalition Holds For Now, But Cracks Visible

KATHMANDU: Politics is the art of the possible. In Nepal, Kedar Karki a rebel candidate of the ruling Nepali Congress (NC) was elected chief minister of eastern Koshi province last month with the backing of opposition party lawmakers, stunning the official candidate Indra Bahadur Angbo of the Maoist Centre. Supporting the rebel was Shekhar Koirala, […]Read More

India Is ‘Bad Boy’ In Nepali Media Coverage, Says Think Tank Report

KATHMANDU: Some of Nepal’s major news outlets portray India in a more negative light compared to China, says a report by a Kathmandu-based think tank. The Centre for Social Inclusion and Federalism warns that journalistic bias combined with nationalism and lack of information is contributing to this negative portrayal of India. The report titled ‘Geopolitics and […]Read More

How India Is Ahead Of China In Battle For Railways In Nepal

KATHMANDU: As India recently handed over the Final Location Survey of the proposed cross-border Raxaul-Kathmandu railway, China has also stepped up its effort to connect the railway with Kathmandu. Many analysts consider the proposed railway connecting Indian town-Raxaul and Nepal’s capital city and China’s efforts to connect Nepal with Kerung-Kathmandu Railway as the two rivals’ […]Read More