According to a poll by Kathmandu (Nepal)
based polling body Interdisciplinary Analysts, 71% of Nepalis prefer
Nepal being a Hindu country and in a first ever, Indian Prime Minister
Narendra Modi scored 68 approval rating on a scale of 0-100. He
outranked the highest rated Nepalese politician, President of Nepal Dr
Ram Baran Yadav. The survey was conducted across 3000 respondents drawn
from 44 randomly selected sample districts.
Reflective of the faith of Nepali
populace in leadership of the yore King Birendra scored a high rating of
87 followed by King Prithvi Narayan Shah at 86. With top two leaders
occupying the apex of leadership ratings hailing from Monarchy, it is
evident that Monarchy is still not viewed as an all-black affair in the
contemporary lore of Nepal. The abolition of Monarchy and adoption of a
secular constitution in 2008 was noted by several analysts to be
reflective of wider public mood and the aspirations of common Nepalese.
Similarly a slightly antagonistic stance towards India was considered to
be but natural for the Nepalese polity. Informed by such narrative
India built a foreign policy thrust that seemed to be reactive and
defensive about the umbilical linkages between two countries. For
example Indian Prime Minister’s office paid little heed to the Himalayan
neighbour leave alone planning a visit to it.
India’s new Prime Minister has been
pro-active and sagacious about courting Nepal and its people.
Importantly enough Government of India has woken up to a new stage of
creative and growth oriented diplomacy predicated on co-operation in the
fields of economy, technology, infrastructure and development. The
results are reflected well in the survey figures that peg the Indian
Prime Minister Modi a peg or two above the national politicians of
Nepal, it is unprecedented in the history and definitely an opportunity
that should be utilized by the citizens of India and Nepal to launch
forth a new era of symbiotic evolution.
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