Finance Minister Wagle criticised for saying anti-India nationalism era is over
Political leaders, former foreign ministers and actor Rajesh Hamal have criticised Finance Minister Swarnim Wagle for saying in New Delhi that the era of anti-India nationalism in Nepal is over. UML leader Surya Thapa has asked the prime minister to sack him.
Finance Minister Dr Swarnim Wagle is facing criticism from political leaders and public figures over remarks he made at the NDTV World Summit in New Delhi, where he said that the era of nationalism tied to anti-India feeling in Nepal was over, Republica and Nagarik reported.
Calls for his dismissal
CPN-UML leader Surya Thapa asked Prime Minister Balendra Shah on social media to sack Wagle, accusing him of speaking against Nepal's national interest, self-respect and diplomatic dignity, Nagarik and Kathmandupati reported. Thapa, who served with Wagle on the House Finance Committee, questioned his role on the committee and criticised the absence of Nepal's flag at a bilateral meeting with India during the visit. He also argued that the remarks were outside the finance ministry's remit. The Gen Z Movement Nepal has also called for Wagle's resignation, Ajako Artha reported.
Actor Rajesh Hamal said Nepal's foreign policy should not become a matter of political interest or any individual's discretion, Himal Press and Jana Aastha reported; Jana Aastha reported that he called the minister's remarks sycophantic.
The debate
In an editorial, Republica said Wagle was right that Nepal needs good ties with India, but that his remark implied that those who question India's conduct are stuck in the past. It listed concerns it said could not be dismissed as "outdated nationalism": fears of border encroachment, flooding blamed on embankments built along Nepal's southern border, barriers to Nepali goods in the Indian market, restrictions on energy exports and the 2015 border blockade. The paper noted that former foreign ministers Narayankaji Shrestha and Kamal Thapa and foreign affairs experts Dinesh Bhattarai and Rajan Bhattarai had also criticised Wagle's remarks, and that critics have questioned his earlier endorsement of the Monroe Doctrine as at odds with the equal sovereignty of small nations.
A Kathmandu Post column described Wagle as "half right on nationalism and India", but said a finance minister speaking abroad "speaks for the country, not just his party".