All eyes on Prachanda’s India policy as Oli influences document on “retrieving territories from India”

The ruling coalition in its common minimum programme (CMP), influenced by Oli, vowed to retrieve territories “allegedly occupied by India”, according to persons familiar with the document.

Prachanda has said that his government’s foreign policy would be guided by Nepal’s national interest, but added that Nepal would seek balanced and friendly relations with all countries, including its two big neighbours – China and India. Prachanda is expected to visit India as his maiden trip abroad in this third stint as PM in keeping with the tradition of Nepal’s foreign policy.

The ruling coalition is led by Prachanda’s Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre) and Oli’s Communist Party of Nepal (United Marxist-Leninist). Interestingly, the CMP, which was formally made public mere hours before the trust vote, had no mention of Nepal’s territorial dispute with China.

The ruling coalition in its common minimum programme (CMP), influenced by Oli, vowed to retrieve territories “allegedly occupied by India”. Prachanda has said that his government’s foreign policy would be guided by Nepal’s national interest, but added that Nepal would seek balanced and friendly relations with all countries, including its two big neighbours – China and India.

New Delhi’s relations with Kathmandu suffered a setback after the Oli’s government in 2020 ratcheted up the Nepal-India dispute over the Lipulekh-Kalapani-Limpiyadhura area. Oli had also got a new map, showing nearly 400 sq km of India’s areas as part of Nepal, endorsed by parliament of his country, apparently at the behest of China. Prachanda, who had led a bloody Maoist insurgency in Nepal, has hinted that he would visit New Delhi first during his third term as the PM.

Recently Oli even accused Nepali Congress of trying to topple the new government. Addressing an orientation programme organised for the newly-elected members of the House of Representatives belonging to his party in Kathmandu, Chairman of Nepal’s ruling party UML alleged that “external powers” were still working to see if they could change the current ruling dispensation. He, however, did not name any country or group.