9219 PARLIAMENT DISSOLVED: PM Oli justified his drastic action after political and public anger swept the streets. Reuters
Maj Gen Ashok K Mehta (retd)
Military Commentator
THE dissolution of Parliament in Nepal by KP Oli is a constitutional coup but no surprise, coming from an embattled Prime Minister. The power struggle between Oli and Nepal Communist Party (NCP) Chairman PK Dahal started soon after their two parties CPN Unified Marxist-Leninist (UML) and CPN (Maoist-Centre) won the elections in a historic mandate in 2017 and then merged. The NCP’s rise on an anti-India, ultra-nationalist wave led by Oli also galvanised the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), with China gradually overtaking India in several spheres of influence. Beijing has invested heavily in the stability of the NCP and the Oli government to undercut further New Delhi’s fading footprint. India had resigned itself to the idea of five years of NCP rule, hoping, not expecting, a split in the party, though a
December 12, 2020
Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s recent visit to Seychelles is seen as a fresh attempt by New Delhi to set up a military base in the island nation in view of China’s growing influence in the Indian Ocean Region.
Underlining the importance of the ties with the former British colony, Jaishankar had called on Seychelles’ newly-elected President, Wavel Ramkalawan.
Experts see this as an opportunity for India to revive the agreement to build military facilities on the Assumption Island, reported to be worth around $550 million, for the purpose of monitoring the Mozambique Channel.
Interestingly, it was the country’s opposition, then led by Ramkalawan, that had stalled the proposed agreement with India in 2018.