‘Deuba Is Comfortable With India But The Relationship With Nepal Will Always Be Tricky’

NEW DELHI: This is not Sher Bahadur Deuba’s first visit to India as prime minister. He’s been here in his earlier avatars as prime minister. What makes this different is the absence of that prickly hostility which KP Sharma Oli, Deuba’s predecessor, exemplified towards India.

In this conversation on StratNewsGlobal, Ranjit Rae, former ambassador to Nepal, breaks down the import of Deuba’s visit, notably his presence at the BJP headquarters in Delhi. He also looks at the relative lack of acrimony around Nepal’s readiness for hydel projects with Indian assistance.

But the India Nepal relationship will always be tricky to navigate. There are vested interests that see anything India does in a negative light. China remains the elephant in Kathmandu and while it has suffered setbacks, it is not going away. The Kalapani dispute triggered by Oli, remains.

Tune in for more in this conversation with Ambassador Ranjit Rae.