Mr Bhekh B. Thapa, former Ambassador of Nepal to India and former Minister of
Foreign Affairs and Finance of Nepal, is a very near and dear friend of India. So much so, that Mr Atal Behari
Vajpayee, then Prime Minister, in a rare gesture of friendship, accompanied him to meet the then King of Nepal.
But he was very angry on April 20, 2007. The occasion was an international conference on "India-Nepal Relations : Looking
at the Future". The conference was jointly organized by the Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA) and Indian Council
for International Cooperation, popularly known as ARSP (Antar-Rashtriya Sahyog Parishad. And, unfortunately, it were the ARSP
speakers who provoked Mr Thapa.
He said at the fag end of the conference that day : "Nepal looked for adult-oriented and inclusive dialogue at the conference.
And not dissection and public criticism. These things should be discussed privately."
He said many more unpleasant things. His speech can be obtained from Mr Talmiz Ahmed, director general, ICWA, by the established
procedure, as space and editorial restraints do not permit this web site to publish all the details. Same goes for the ARSP
members' statements.
However, the feedback from the ARSP members about their organization is disappointing. As the construction of an ARSP building
is in the process, one-upmanship is the order of the day at the organization meetings. Free expression of opinion, guaranteed
by the Constitution, is curtailed - sometimes this censorship spills over in international forums as well. A bit of logic
can do wonders for ARSP, feel the members.
o0o
