Kathmandu, Feb 18
A visiting BJP leader's
remarks on Nepal's future political structure sparked off a major
controversy Wednesday and were slammed by opposition parties, prompting
the Indian embassy to seek to end the row, terming the statements her
personal views and not the official stand.
"The embassy's
attention has been drawn to press reports relating to purported
statements made by Renu Devi, vice president of Bharatiya Janata Party
of India, during her recent visit to Nepal. The embassy is not aware of
the veracity of these statements. However, in the event that the
statements as reported in the media were made, they are Renu Devi's own
views and in no way do they reflect the policy of the Government of
India," said the embassy in a press release.
In her remarks, made
at a media meet here Tuesday and was widely carried by several Nepali
media outlets Wednesday, Renu Devi urged the Nepali leadership not to
opt federalism based on ethnicity and also called for reinstating Nepal
as a Hindu state.
She said that as an old and good friend of
Nepal, India never supports for ethnicity based federalism in Nepal as
the country would "disintegrate in several pieces".
"It was
designed by the West," she said while expressing concern over increasing
Christian activities in Nepal. Nepali leaders should unite and should
remain alert on time, she said.
Renu Devi, who was accompanied
by other BJP leaders including Vijay Jolly, Sushil Kumar Jaisawal,
Sandeed Shrivastava and Shiv Shankar Oraon, also informed that she would
appraise the ground reality of Nepal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi
and BJP president Amit Shah.
In response to the statements,
United Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist vice chairman and former deputy
prime minister Narayan Kaji said: "BJP leaders must stop their
expressions and activities undermining the sovereignty of the people of
Nepal. It should be secular or whatever, it is up to us."
The
issue of federalism, and its details like the number of states and their
basis, have become a bone of contention among various parties ensuring
that Nepal could not have a new constitution throughout the tenure of
the first Constituent Assembly which came up in 2008. The second
assembly, which was installed in 2013 end, has also not been able to
reach an understanding on the issue as of now.
Different
positions over the issue of federalism among the ruling Nepali Congress
and the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist-Leninist and opposition
UCPN-Maoist and the Madhesi Morcha have been derailing the constitution
drafting process. The Maoists and Madhesis are calling for identity and
ethnicity-based federalism.
