KATHMANDU // India’s prime minister dropped plans to hold rallies in Nepal at the birthplaces of the Buddha and a Hindu goddess after controversy over whether he was gaining too much prominence in the country.
Prime minister Narendra Modi is in Kathmandu for a South Asia summit, where foreign ministers from eight of the countries in the region will gather.
Suspicion of India is common among South Asia’s smaller nations, and the sensitivies shown in Nepal would be a small reminder for Mr Modi as he seeks to show leadership in a region scarred by ethnic and religious divides.
Mr Modi earned some goodwill in May by inviting the region’s leaders, including arch-rival Pakistan, to his inauguration.
He will be hoping to follow up on that success during the two-day summit of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) in Kathmandu that starts on Wednesday.
SAARC summits bring together leaders from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Power integration is high on the agenda.
Mr Modi had planned visits to Lumbini, the birthplace of the Buddha, and Janakpur, the birthplace of Sita, the heroine of the Hindu epic the Ramayana. But in the past weeks, Nepal’s political parties argued over whether his rallies would draw large crowds and amount to interference in domestic politics.
On Sunday, he formally dropped visits outside Kathmandu from his plans, citing scheduling issues. Nepal’s government blamed security concerns for the controversy.
As at past summits, a focus of attention will be on whether the leaders of India and Pakistan take the opportunity for talks to reduce tensions between their nuclear-armed states.
India’s Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj on Monday refused to rule out a meeting between Modi and Pakistan’s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Both were due to arrive in Kathmandu on Tuesday.
* Reuters
