On/Off the Record

By P.R. Pradhan A borderline between patriotic and traitor Nepalis has been drawn in the country along with the five-party alliance government trying to amend the citizenship law by introducing a new bill. Those who are claiming themselves as the loktantrik leaders have attempted to amend the citizenship law of the country by introducing the provision of instantly granting Nepali naturalized citizenship to foreign wives married to Nepali nationals. Both the Houses in Parliament, without any serious study and without organizing detailed discussion in Parliament, have ratified the citizenship amendment bill through a fast track. This is an act against the nation’s interests which can be done only by the traitors. When President Bidya Devi Bhandari denied certifying the bill for the second time, the five parties in the alliance government sent their students to the streets to protest the President’s act. Now, the case is under the consideration of the court. The President, after consultation with the experts, sent back the bill to Parliament for reconsideration. The House, instead of reconsidering the issues raised by the President, again sent the Bill to the President for a seal but the President kept pending the Bill and after 15 days, the Bill has become ineffective. As Parliament has already been dissolved, the President has remained silent on the issue but those in the five-party alliance government have become furious against the President and they have blamed the President for violating the constitutional provision. However, the patriotic forces believe that the President, also a patron of the nation, has done her duty in the interests of the nation. The main objection to the bill is instantly granting naturalized citizenship to those foreign wives married to Nepali nationals. Nowhere in South Asian countries, does such a provision is existed. In India, Nepal’s immediate neighbour, foreign wives married to Indian nationals should wait for a minimum of seven years to start the process of acquiring Indian citizenship. Not to forget, Sonia Gandhi, widow of the then Indian prime minister Rajeev Gandhi, a strong and influential leader of the Indian Congress party, was disqualified from becoming the prime minister of India as she was a foreign lady. Nepal is a small country between the two giant nations – India and China. Moreover, Nepal has an open border with India and there is a flood of migrated Indian nationals in the country as India is a heavily populated country and Indian people from West Bengal, Bihar, UP and other states migrate to Nepal seeking opportunities here. According to Rajnath Singh, the then Indian home minister, there are above ten million Indian nationals residing in Nepal. In August 2015, he said, “The Indian government will protect the interests of the one crore Indians living there (in Nepal)". According to the recent census, Nepal’s total population is around 30 million. If there are ten million Indian population, the presence of the Indian population is already one-third, which is very high. The Nepal government, under the Indian leaders’ pressure, has rewarded millions of Indian nationals with Nepali citizenship in different periods. However, the flow of migration of Indian nationals has not been stopped. A committee under the Parliament had prepared a bill after discussing the issue of citizenship law for about two years. The committee had also recommended waiting seven years to acquire Nepali citizenship by those ladies married to Nepali nationals. The bill was tabled in Parliament for ratification. In the meantime, Home Minister Balkrishna Khand took back the already discussed and recommended draft by the parliamentarian committee and presented a new draft of the bill by including the provision of instantly providing Nepali citizenship to those foreign ladies married to Nepali citizens. This provision has been opposed by UML and other patriotic intellectuals in the country. The Indians have ill intentions toward Nepal. In the 70s, Indira Gandhi had assigned the RAW to split Nepal’s Tarai districts and annex the Tarai area into the Indian map. In the meantime, Indira Gandhi-led government was dissolved following the failure of the emergency period imposed by Gandhi in India. Still, the Indians are eying the Tarai districts. Moreover, the Indian plan is to annex Nepal, if not possible, to annex the Tarai districts, otherwise, bringing Nepal under the Indian security umbrella. These are the continuous efforts made by the South Block and RAW. We saw a people’s movement in 1989-90, and another people’s movement in 2005. Both the movements were supported by the South Block and RAW. Also, we experienced Maoist “people’s war” killing above 17 thousand Nepalis. This “war” was also supported and funded by India. The then foreign minister who later became the President of India late Pranav Mukharjee officially confirmed that India had supported and sponsored the Maoist movement in Nepal. In an interview with Al Jazeera, he stated it. After the annexation of Sikkim and ending the special privilege given to the Jambu and Kashmir, the Indians are eyeing Nepal. Presently, India is using Nepal’s political leaders in achieving these Indian goals. The Indian strategy is to encourage the Indian population from West Bengal, Bihar and UP to migrate to Nepal and start a business in the Himalayan country. Indians are putting pressure on the Nepali political leaders for granting Nepali citizenship to those Indians staying in Nepal for a long time and empowering them with all the rights even enjoying sensitive posts such as Chief of Army Staff, Prime Minister and President among others. Today, the situation is that above 95 per cent of business is in the grip of those migrated Indians who have acquired Nepali citizenship. It means the nation’s economy is under the grip of the Indian nationals. Fiji is a small island with a dominating population of Indian-origin people. India wants to create the same environment in Nepal. After Fijinisation, the next process will be for the Sikkimisation of Nepal. Once, there will be dominating Indian population in Nepal, it is assumed that the Indians will put pressure on the Nepal government for a referendum on whether Nepal remaining a sovereign country or become a part of India, the same policy was initiated while the annexation of Sikkim, a sovereign Himalayan kingdom. During elections, the Indian government provide election fund to almost all political parties. India is making a huge investment in Nepal, its sole purpose is to make Nepal weak and bring it under Indian control – either annexing Nepal or keeping it under the Indian grip. All the political leaders in Nepal are in a race for pleasing their Indian bosses to enjoy power in Nepal as the Indians are active in micromanagement here. PM Deuba sent his wife Dr Arzu Deuba to Delhi to meet the Indian leaders. Later, Pushpakamal Dahal also visited Delhi and both the leaders met in Delhi. It is said that they had an agreement for sharing the post of the prime minister in the presence of the BJP leader. The meeting was for cementing the five-party alliance and cornering K.P. Sharma Oli. President Bidya Devi Bhandari has tried to win the hearts of patriotic Nepalis as after the November election, a new president is going to take over her. As she has some more months to stay in Sittal Niwas, she has decided to deny the Indian interests. Unfortunate to state, the sensitive issue of citizenship has been downplayed by all the mainstream media and all the influential political parties. They all are trying to defame President Bhandari for violating the 2015 constitution. Indeed, those who are in favour of liberal citizenship law, are surely foreign-paid people.