Nepali Congress (NC) President Sher Bahadur Deuba has been criticized for sending written congratulatory message to S Jaishankar after his appointment as the external affairs minister of India.
"It is international practice to congratulate one's compatriots," a former foreign secretary told Setopati. "Sending formal greetings violating the protocol looks unsavory."
Sending congratulatory messages to Indian Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Amit Shah in capacity of NC president and former PM is appropriate. But Deuba congratulated Jaishankar, the 11th ranked member in the Modi Cabinet, inviting criticisms both inside and outside the party for.
"It may have been justifiable if any big BJP leader with good relation with our party were appointed the external affairs minister," an NC leader stated. "But Jaishankar is a former bureaucrat and has bitter relation with Nepal."
The then foreign secretary Jaishankar had visited Nepal days before promulgation of the Constitution in September 2015 to persuade Nepali leaders to postpone promulgation to include the demands of agitating Madhes-based parties.
He acted patronizing during his political meetings and was apparently miffed at the reluctance of Nepali leaders to heed his advice.
He condescendingly slammed the then chairman of CPN (Maoist Center) Pushpa Kamal Dahal and leader Baburam Bhattarai saying they would still be in the streets without Indian support while he threatened NC and the then CPN-UML leaders to be ready to face the consequence if they promulgate the Constitution without listening to Indian concerns.
The consequence was the blockade imposed immediately after promulgation of the Constitution. The six-month blockade coming on the heels of the Gorkha Earthquake made life miserable for the people.
Secretary at NC's central office Krishna Paudel confirmed that Deuba sent a congratulatory email to Jaishankar in capacity of NC president. Deuba expressed hope that Jaishankar's experience and knowledge will take Nepal-India relation into greater heights in the message.
NC Spokesperson Bishwo Prakash Sharma expressed ignorance about Deuba's congratulatory message. "Spokesperson would know if the message were sent from the party's central office. I am currently out of Kathmandu and have no knowledge about the issue," Sharma said.
A NC central members said Deuba sent congratulatory message forgetting his dignity and without holding discussion inside the party. "Should the NC president congratulate newly appointed forest ministers across the world," the member opined. "And Jaishankar is such a person with whom Nepalis have unsettled accounts on top of that."
