Speaking with a sense of urgency, senior lawmakers in the Indian upper house of parliament vehemently urged the Indian government to immediately ease the supply of fuels, medicines and other essentials to Nepal so as to avoid an impending humanitarian crisis.
Majority of those airing their views at the upper house meeting suggested to India's Minister for External Affairs, Sushma Swaraj, who was present on the occasion, and to the government to strictly shun any action that may hurt the sentiments of the Nepali people.
Maharastra lawmaker DP Tripathi, who has been known for decades as an expert on Nepali affairs, argued that it is still not too late to improve relations with Nepal and that the Indian side has only to follow a single mantra. "If we accept Nepal as a sovereign country and avoid any interference in its internal affairs, a solution is still possible," Tripathi said at the Rajya Sabha. "We mustn't forget that all we have to do is play the role of facilitator and nothing more than that."
Tripathi highlited the pathetic conditions the general public in Nepal is living through in recent days due to the blockade, and the looming humanitarian crisis.
"Three million children below the age of five are in a vulnerable situation. Over 200,000 families are living under tents and most of them are women and children," he said making his point for taking urgent action toward lifting the blockade.
Stating that no constitution of any country in the world is perfect, Tripathi argued that Nepal's constitution can also be improved over time as talks between the government and the agitating side in Nepal are taking place regularly.
He didn't buy the argument that the Madhesi communities weren't represented in Nepal's political leadership. "There is no single major political party in Nepal in which there is no Madhesi in the central leadership," he argued.
Lawmaker Mani Shankar Aiyar advised the government not to listen to those Madhesi leaders who are frequenting New Delhi as they were the ones defeated in elections and don't represent the people in the true sense.
"Rush a team to Nepal to find ways to lift the blockade as soon as possible," he said.
He said there is no point pressing Nepal's leadership to correct the shortcomings of the new constitution as the Nepali government has already decided to amend it as demanded by the agitating parties.
Another lawmaker, T.K. Rangajarajan of Tamil Nadu, strongly criticized the Indian government for interferring in Nepal's domestic affairs.
"It is not our job to support one section of the population of another country. India's government has to understand that Nepal is an indepenent country," said Rangarajan. "I repeat, India mustn't interfere in Nepal's internal affairs."
Likewise, another upper house member, Sharad Yadav, explained at length how deep-rooted Nepal-India relations have remained and how these have soured in recent months.
"Our leaders like Ram Manohar Lohia and George Fernandes used to take refuge in Nepal during the struggle for freedom when they would be in trouble in India," Yadav said. "The government must repair the relations with Nepal in whatever way it requires."
Many of the members airing their views fiercely criticized the Indian government for not dealing with Nepal in proper diplomatic ways and for sending a special envoy when the constitution had already been voted by a two-thirds majority of Nepal's Constituent Assembly.
Some other speakers recalled the role of the Gorkha battalions and of other Nepali nationals who have played important roles for India as a country.
Responding to the lawmakers' queries, Minister Swaraj claimed that India had to step in after Nepal's political leadership endorsed a new constitution without holding a debate on its provisions. She also accused Nepal's politicians of depriving marginalized communities of proportional inclusive representation in the state organs.
She said it was not only at the last stages that India had exerted pressure on Nepal's political leadership but the Indian government had been providing suggestions in advance as well.
She claimed that it wasn't for the first time that Nepal had faced a blockade from India. "But it was also in 1989 that the erstwhile government led by Rajiv Gandhi had imposed blockade in Nepal for 16 months," she said.
Stating that 11,206 trucks were stuck at the Raxaul checkpoint, she claimed that it was not the Indian government but the agitating Nepali political parties that have blocked the entry points along the border.
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