India denies handing any amendments to Nepal constitution

BLOG: Nepal messed up its constitution, India messed up its handling of Nepal India’s concerns about the constitution and the protests in Terai have made Koirala to go to the offices of the Madhesi group leaders to invite them for talks on finding a solution.

Nepal’s top political parties on Thursday reached out to protesters angry about the country’s new constitution, after violence in the region bordering India halted more than 1,000 oil tankers and trucks with essential supplies from entering Nepal. The area is almost 300 kilometers (200 miles) east of Kathmandu, the capital.

Ashok Arya, an Indian customs official at a border crossing in Gorakhpur district, blamed the Nepalese side.

But it’s not only the minorities that are pissed off. India – Nepal’s much larger and often dominating neighbor – has expressed concern over the violence and instability on the other side of its border, triggering, in turn, a backlash under the hashtag #backoffIndia. “But publicly they would denounce India and then privately say ‘well, we had to say this for public consumption.’ This has gone on for too long, and unfortunately it has created a narrative in which Nepali nationalism and anti-Indianism get intertwined”, Sood said.

Nepal’s prime minister has cancelled plans to attend a meeting of the United Nations General Assembly, his spokesman said, in order to hold talks to end weeks of protests against a new constitution that have killed more than 40 people. “If protests are peaceful, then demands can be addressed and met. But when there is violence, challenge of law and order, attacks on government buildings, what can the state do?” asked Upadhyay. Leaders of the three main political parties, NC, CPN-UML and UCPN (Maoist) met yesterday and chose to initiate talks with the disaffected groups.

The remarks came in the backdrop of reports that India has conveyed to Nepal’s leadership to carry out “seven amendments” to its newly promulgated Constitution to ensure it is acceptable to the Madhesis.

The ethnic groups have not yet responded.