India’s Jaishankar is deep in Nepali leadership’s psyche

S. Jaishankar, India's current foreign minister, remains a figure associated with a difficult chapter in Nepal-India relations. His September 2015 visit to Kathmandu as a special envoy of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi occurred just days before Nepal promulgated its new constitution. During this visit, Jaishankar conveyed New Delhi's reservations about the charter to top Nepali leaders. This was followed by a border blockade that deeply affected public memory in Nepal, cementing Jaishankar's image as a symbol of India's assertive approach to its northern neighbor.

However, more than a decade later, as Kathmandu and New Delhi work to rebuild ties, some of the same leaders who met Jaishankar in 2015 now hold a more balanced perspective on both the minister and the message he delivered. This evolution in perception raises questions about the root causes of the strained relations: was it solely due to Jaishankar's controversial mission, or were deeper disagreements over Nepal's political transition, representation, and trust more significant factors?

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The message from New Delhi was that the constitution should command the widest possible acceptance and that the concerns of agitating groups should be addressed before promulgation.

When Jaishankar arrived in Kathmandu, Nepal was on the cusp of adopting its new constitution, a process expedited by earlier devastating earthquakes. However, protests by the Madheshi and Tharu communities, who felt their concerns about representation and federal boundaries were not adequately addressed, continued. Jaishankar's meetings with key figures like Pushpa Kamal Dahal, KP Sharma Oli, Sher Bahadur Deuba, and Baburam Bhattarai conveyed India's message that the constitution should have broad acceptance and that the agitating groups' concerns needed to be addressed before promulgation.

Many Nepali leaders and observers interpreted India's intervention as undue pressure. Relations rapidly deteriorated after the constitution was promulgated on September 20, despite Delhi's reservations. A months-long border disruption ensued. While India denied imposing a blockade, attributing it to protests on the Nepali side, many Nepalis perceived it as an unofficial embargo orchestrated by New Delhi. This episode significantly altered public perceptions of both India and Jaishankar, who had become the face of India's last-minute intervention.

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He became a name that symbolised one of the most difficult chapters in Nepal-India relations.