.The Indian government has assured the Nepali government that every request of Nepal's will be fulfilled. In a democracy, the government is formed for the benefit of the people and that is why we, the people, accept its decisions. Since only the government has access to complete information, we assume that whatever decision it takes must be the right one. During the tumultuous 50 years of the subcontinent the government has made many mistakes. Such mistakes have not only been bad for the nation's image but have also affected democracy.

Nepal is under emergency rule at a time when its democracy is still very young and its parliament and government have been caught up in scampering for political gains. Only time will tell what effect the emergency will have on the nation and its people, and on democracy. We have examples that show how difficult it is for a country to return to normalcy after a spell of emergency. In the case of India, the emergency imposed in 1975 is like a dark scar in its history. It was the equivalent of a hydrogen bomb being dropped on democracy.

No matter what cries of help Nepal directs towards India, India should not interfere. Any interference will be harmful to both countries in the long run. Experience, time and history tell this. India's involvement does not fit into the long friendship and special relation the two countries share, because the cornerstone of India-Nepal friendship is India's respect for and acceptance of an independent and sovereign Nepal. Regardless of where India's interest lies, and even if it lends a helping hand in good faith, when circumstances change in later years, succeeding governments may call this interference. And such thinking will only be detrimental to
our relations.

Initially, the Indian Peace Keeping Force sent to Sri Lanka was welcomed by the Sri Lankan government. Later, when a new government came to power, it not only called the entire episode Indian interference in a neighbouring country but India was also accused of arming the LTTE (Tamil Tigers). It was a failure of Indian diplomacy.

Nepal has long-standing and good relations with China, too. But why is China staying neutral? There is no place for the Maoists in today's China, now a WTO member. Or perhaps China is still paying the price for interfering in Tibet.

What all should India do in Nepal? China's influence is growing stronger by the day. As for the ISI, it has not yet been destroyed, anti-democratic forces are still active and other anti-India forces are waiting on the sidelines for a chance to step into the limelight. And just imagine what will happen if, on top of all this, India has to fight the Maoists too. That is why India should not interfere at all. Till date, India has stayed out of the Nepal-Bhutan refugee dispute saying it is a bilateral matter. Thus India must not interfere in Nepal's internal affairs even if Nepal calls for help. .This is a very serious matter and the Nepali government must assess the odds carefully. (Mahendra Lama teaches at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.)