Date:24/04/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/04/24/stories/2006042402861000.htm

Opinion - Editorials

New Delhi out of step

After doing the right thing on Nepal for more than a year, India runs the risk of putting itself out of step with the Himalayan kingdom's inspiring democratic revolution by betting on King Gyanendra's last throw of the dice. The Ministry of External Affairs' inept endorsement of his proclamation and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's assessment that "by and large whatever moves the King has made... are in the right direction" demonstrate how much official Indian policy lags behind fast-moving political developments in a neighbouring country. When it comes to the Nepalese monarchy, the Indian establishment seems to have a comprehension problem. The democratic movement spearheaded by the Seven Party Alliance (SPA) has its own roadmap and agenda, the core elements of which are the revival of the House of Representatives and a constituent assembly to settle the future of the Nepali polity. The issue of bringing Maoists into the democratic polity is an inescapable part of this agenda. King Gyanendra, on the other hand, seeks desperately to impose his own terms on the restoration of multi-party democracy. He wants to preserve as much of his executive power as he can get away with, including the `Henry VIII clause' (Article 127 of the 1990 Constitution) — which he fraudulently invoked in February 2005 to subvert parliamentary democracy — his absolute immunity, his control over the Army, and his emergency powers. By way of damage limitation, Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran has now sought to explain that the MEA's endorsement of Friday's royal offer was limited to the principle that executive power should be returned to the people. When New Delhi spoke of the twin pillars of constitutional monarchy and multi-party democracy, Mr. Saran explained, it was "reflecting only what the people of Nepal and the political parties in Nepal have wanted. If today or tomorrow the people of Nepal wish to see a different future for themselves, different kind of political arrangements for themselves, that is for the people of Nepal ... not for India to decide."

It is in the spirit of these observations that India must develop its Nepal policy during this crucial period when the kingdom is going through a revolution on the streets. Far from adding its voice to the conservative external view that the SPA should accept the King's offer, India should be a great reserve of strength for the democratic forces. The continuous curfew in Kathmandu and the suspension of cellular services demonstrate the increasing desperation of King Gyanendra and his isolation from political reality. Instead of leaning on the parties, the international community should step up the pressure on the King to go along with the SSA's roadmap — or if he is constitutionally unable to do that, go for good. There is no way the parties will walk into the trap of forming a government under the slippery terms he has set. Once in the hot seat, they will soon find themselves unable to push their roadmap; there is also the possibility of the people power, which has forced the King to go this far, dissipating. This may be the King's game plan.