The happening is inspiring democrats, especially in the backdrop of an emerging Nepal which adopted and began implementing a new constitution with unique features of participatory democracy that is a a mirage for most of the democracies, especially the developing and under-developed world, including India .The Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli too belongs to the CPN (UML) although the party is not the largest political party in the Parliament.

There are two factors that elevate the stature of the first woman communist President of a secular and democratic republic. . First, she has a glorious past having benefitted from her comradely collaboration with her illustrious husband Madan Bhandari, one of the most respected Nepali communists, killed in a road accident in mysterious circumstances in 1993 when he was just 52. A fierce defender of open democracy, Bhandari whom Newsweek interviewed in a cover story in 1993, with a caption, “Nepal Where Karl Marx Lives” took up cudgels for his thesis of ‘People’s Multiparty Democracy’ that called for socialism or socialist goals through people’s mandate or through elections”. Second, she led the agitation demanding removal of former King Gyanendra in 2006, ending his authoritarian rule. Little wonder, in her first statement after being elected to the top constitutional slot, she expressed her commitment towards fulfillment of “guarantees of equality”

But Nepal right now is amidst an unmitigated economic crisis. The economy bleeds due to the protracted stand-off between the government and Tarai-centric political parties of Madhesis. The economic blockade has crossed 81 days, forcing importers to incur an atrociously demurrage charges at Kolkata port, the key route for Nepal's third country imports. They have been paying penalties at the rate of Rs 40 million per day as demurrage at Kolkata port, laments the president of the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry Pashupati Murarka. The country is losing Rs two billion a day due to the unrest and the government's politics first policy, the FNCCI chief of Indian –origin added.

An anti-Indian fever is on the rise as a result of the blockade. Nonagenarian Kirti Nidhi Bista, a three-time PM of Nepal (albeit when it was a truncated democracy with the monarchs breathing down the neck of anyone craving for the fragrance of liberty and freedom of speech and association) in an interview to a pro-Left English daily , made a pungent attack against India. “Since 1950 India has not been treating us as equals. India was a British colony for about two centuries. We have always remained an independent nation. India is now free but it wants to colonize Nepal. It should shed this colonial mindset. I am worried that Nepali leaders have sold their souls. So they do not speak up against Indian highhandedness.

Bista makes no secret of his softness towards China and he can’t forget several nightmarish blockades that crippled the economy of poverty-stricken erstwhile kingdom. It was puring his prime ministership when the first such blockade took place in 1960. The blockade, he remembers, was a sequel to the decision of the Nepali government “to remove India's military mission in Nepal. There were Indian army personnel stationed at northern check posts on the border with Tibet and there was an Indian militarily mission right in front of the central zoo, in today's Staff College at Jawalakhel. I removed them all.”. He admits that he was an unabashed admirer of the monarchy. “I had strong support of King Mahendra. But the blockade was not so severe. It was meant to teach Nepal a lesson and prove that India was a power to be reckoned with.”, he quipped.

True, For about three months, the enraged protesters have kept Birgunj blockaded and nearly 70 per cent of goods from India enter through Birgunj other crossing points. Among the commodities shipped by Indian trucks are mainly petroleum products, medicines, and other essentials. So the blockade has seriously affected the economy. But it is erroneous to snap fingers at India somewhat recklessly as it does at the United Nations as if Indian government patronises the blockade.

Kathmandu can’t skip the imperative of understanding the burning question of Madhesi conundrum. The Madhesis live in the south and do have cultural and linguistic links with India across the open border; They feel embittered and politically disturbed. They are aggrieved due to discriminatory content of the new Constitution. The way constituencies have been formed and provinces created have annoyed not only the Madhesis, but the Tharus and the Janjatis too. These sections of population have a lesser representation in elected bodies and the policy-framing bodies. This and only this triggered the agitation. Indian government and Indians have no role in this. Rather New Delhi deserves praise for restraint even when the Terai stir has an effect on the Indian side of Nepal-India border.

China which developed bonhomie with the monarchs of the Himalayan state cashing in on the bad blood between India and China is back into the troubled stage with her eagerness to come to the rescue of Nepal. Beijing has agreed to send in 1,000 tonnes of fuel immediately to Nepal. Additionally, Nepali and Chinese customs officials have agreed to reopen the Tatopani-Khasa route and for that the necessary infrastructure on either side of the border is a must.

Madhesis had begun protesting against the unjust provisions of the new constitution even before it was promulgated. In two months of mass protests and strikes since, over 40 people have been killed by the police and hundreds wounded. Prime Minister Oli is known for getting things done through intermediaries, and it's unlikely he'll get down to brass tacks even now. He'll probably rely on the Maoists and Gachhedar to deal with the protests in Tarai-Madhes. The strategy is likely to consist of bringing Madhesi parties on board with a combination of conciliatory carrots and administrative sticks, and then defuse the stir by announcing local elections.

For reconciliation with India, Oli is expected to marshal the resources of the power elite. Kathmandu is abuzz with rumors that Nepali billionaires with business interests in both countries have assured New Delhi that Oli is ready to sign on any commercial deal as long as his political line is endorsed in exchange. Indeed, supplies have already eased somewhat since Oli took over. The efficacy of this strategy, however, remains to be seen. (IPA Service)