False allegations of blocking trade at Nepal border, says India

India has rejected “false” allegations of blocking a key trade checkpoint on the border with Nepal, amid protests over the country’s new constitution.

India has rejected “false” allegations of blocking a key trade checkpoint on the border with Nepal, amid protests over the country’s new constitution even as it emphasised that it is for the Nepalese people and parties to find a mutually acceptable solution.

Nepalese oil tankers and commercial trucks are stranded near a gate that marks the Nepalese border with India, in Birgunj, Nepal. Indian trucks carrying food and fuel began trickling into Nepal which is grappling with shortages caused by a blockade during protests by hundreds of people angry about Nepal's new constitution.(AP Filr Photo)

“Our stand is very very clear. We do not want to be prescriptive. It is for the people of Nepal and the political parties in Nepal to arrive at a mutually acceptable solution, something for which ownership can be taken by all sections,” ministry of external affairs spokesperson Vikas Swarup said.

He was briefing reporters on the bilateral and multilateral engagements of external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session when he was questioned about India’s stand on Nepal’s constitution-drafting process.

Swaraj had a bilateral meeting with Nepal foreign minister Mahendra Pandey where she said the allegation that India had imposed a blockade was “totally false”.

“We can only take goods up to the border and beyond the border. It is the responsibility of the Nepalese side to ensure that there is adequate safety and security for the trucks to enter that side,” Swarup said.

He said that 4,310 trucks are waiting at the border but cannot proceed into Nepal due to security concerns.

He added that Indian transporters had voiced complaints about the difficulty they are facing in moving within Nepal and the security fears due to the prevailing unrest.

Trucks from India carrying essential goods and petroleum products, on Wednesday, started entering Nepal which is grappling with a fuel crisis due to blockade of a key trade checkpoint by protesters opposing Nepal’s new constitution.

About 100 cargo trucks entered Nepal from the Sunauli border in UP. The trucks had been stranded on the Indian side for more than five days due to the ongoing blockade imposed by Madhesi groups opposing the promulgation of the new constitution.

Madhesis are Indian-origin inhabitants of the Terai region, bordering India, who are opposed to splitting Nepal into seven provinces according to the new constitution.

At least 40 people have died in over a month of clashes between police and protesters from the Madhesi, Tharu communities and other ethnic minorities.