Responding to criticism of India’s handling of Nepal during a discussion in Rajya Sabha this week, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj asked some members of the Indian parliament to get their facts correct.
Swaraj criticised Communist Party of India (Marxist)’s TK Rangarajan for misleading the house with his falsehoods. “Your speech was full of factual errors,” she said. “For example, Prime Minister’s Narendra Modi’s first visit was not to Nepal. He visited Nepal only after Bhutan and Japan.”
Swaraj also asked Indian National Congress (INC)’s Mani Shankar Aiyar and Renuka Chaudhary to judge the Modi government’s policy on Nepal on the basis of facts.
“In the 17 years before Prime Minister Modi’s first Nepal visit, no Indian Prime Minister went there. And Nepal-India joint commission meeting had not taken place in 23 years until I took this initiative last year,” she said.”These are facts, and based on these facts, I will leave it up to you to decide how India-Nepal relations were before the Modi government was formed.”
But Swaraj herself misled Rajya Sabha with her misrepresentation about Nepal’s new constitution. She said: “Nepal’s interim constitution had ensured naturalised citizenship for those Indian women married to Nepali men. But these provisions have been removed from the new constitution.”
This is a rumour spread by supporters of the Madhes movement, and Swaraj discussed it as if it were a fact. She was either herself manipulated or deliberately misleading the Indian parliament.
The article 11 (6) of Nepal’s new constitution says: Foreign women married to Nepali men can apply for Nepal’s naturalised citizenship as per federal laws if they want.
The article 8 (6) of Nepal’s interim constitution says: Foreign women married to Nepali men can apply for Nepal’s naturalised citizenship as per existing laws if they want.
Indeed there is no vast difference between Nepal’s new and interim constitution. The only difference: the word ‘existing’ has been replaced by ‘federal’ and it makes no difference at all. What Swaraj said in the Rajya Sabha was not quite correct.
As for naturalised citizenship for foreign men married to Nepali women, the new constitution is silent. But the interim constitution was also silent on this matter. The draft of the new constitution stated ‘ foreign men married to Nepali women can acquire Nepal’s naturalised citizenship after spending 15 years in Nepal and forgoing his original citizenship.”
Women rights activists criticised the draft constitution saying it was more regressive than the interim constitution in terms of citizenship rights. This provision regarding naturalised citizenship for foreign men married to Nepali women was removed before the new constitution was approved.
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A liar must have a good memory.”; goes the saying.
The Constituent Assembly.
Jawaharlal Nehru , : “This cannot be done by the wisest of lawyers sitting together in conclave;it cannot be done by small committees trying to balance interests and calling that constitution-making.; it can never be done under the SHADOW OF AN EXTERNAL AUTHORITY IT CAN ONLY BE DONE EFFECTIVELY WHEN POLITICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL CONDITIONS ARE PRESENT, AND THE URGE AND SANCTIONS COME FROM THE MASSES .”
HOW PROPHETIC THESE WORDS ARE.
IT APPLIES TO OUR ADVISING FRIENDS FROM THE SOUTH OF THE BORDERS TOO.
THE INDIGENOUS NATURE OF THE Indian Constitution IS SAID TO BE THE MAJOR REASON FOR ITS SUCCESS, AS OUTLINED BY THE EMINENT EXPERT ON THE CONSTITUTION, GRANVILLE AUSTIN.
Why is it always hard to utilize the power in people’s general interests? I can see power is misused in the worst possible way.
I cry with Nepal and pray for its well being.
Men do as they wish, remarry several times, women must be protected in favour of their children and for themselves.
Men are irresponsible in Nepal (frequently) that is the culture.
Constitution and Federalism will not remediate cooking gas will.
She is a snake! I could never take away schools and medicine from elderly and children. Take away cooking gas from a mother preparing food to her hungry children. I do believe in karma and I hope her karma will teach her a lesson in the future until then Nepalis have to suffer.
God Bless Nepal…..Don’t Believe India
Stop externalizing and blaming your neighbours for everything wrong in your country which is surely due to your internal issues- this is the same neighbour who flew billions of aid without blinking the eye
i m indian and nepal u r in problem i know bt dont blame india remember the dayz of quake u will become strong and so our beti roti ka sambandh