Will look beyond India if blockade goes on: Nepal

Nepal will have to look beyond India if the blockade of its borders by anti-Constitution protesters which has hit essential supplies does not end and the obvious partner would be China, Nepalese Ambassador to New Delhi Deep Kumar Upadhyay stated on Wednesday.

The envoy said the landlocked country is undergoing a ‘crisis’ because of the disruption in cross-border traffic, which had badly impacted transportation of essential commodities, especially fuel.

He insisted the agreement between Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) and Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) should not be ‘violated’.

Upadhyay said Nepal wants to ‘clear all misunderstanding’ and ‘negativities’ between the two countries and contended that India being a "big country should not show a small heart." "When we are asked (by journalists) on what if the blockade does not end, then we say that we have to look at the world outside. Nepal is surrounded by India on three sides. On one side you have the Himalayas where the terrain is so difficult. Our priority would be restoring normalcy with the help of the Indian government.

"If this (easing) does not happen, then we have to look out to the world. It would be our helplessness (in doing that). But things won't reach that far. And it is also our desire (that things don't reach that point). On one hand we have India on three sides and on other hand we have China. So in the whole world's context, only these two countries can come for us," Upadhyay said.

He was speaking at the conference on 'Interaction Programme on the New Constitution of Nepal' organised by Samyukta Pravasi Nepal Association in India.