Nepal’s political landscape transformed overnight as the upstart Rastriya Swatantra Party scripted a victory tale, humiliating stalwarts including KP Oli. In a candid conversation with IANS, Arun K. Suwedi—press advisor to former PM Sher Bahadur Deuba and veteran analyst—laid out a roadmap for the victors, centering India in their foreign policy vision.
The constitution’s foreign policy sections need urgent overhaul, Suwedi insisted, as they lag behind realities. ‘Geography binds us to India—shared frontiers, economies, and heritage,’ he said. Rejecting equal-treatment mandates with distant powers, he advocated interest-based realism over leftist legacies.
Nepal’s fuel dependency paints a vivid picture: no refineries, no gas infrastructure—pure reliance on India. ‘We trust India’s stewardship of our energy lifeline,’ he remarked.
Suwedi beamed at the left’s rout, endorsing non-left unity. Nepali Congress must reinvent with reformist, capitalist, and moderate conservative strains. ‘Unite, transcend socialism, and channel popular conservatism like Modi or Trump for electoral triumph,’ he counseled.
Dismissing populism’s allure, he noted its inadequacy for sustained growth or global navigation. Electoral tides turned due to leftist economic failures and ideological foreign blunders—compounded by Congress’s foreign ministry role.
Social media restrictions and digital regulation gaps bred youth frustration, sparking targeted protests from privileged demographics. ‘Awakened voters, especially Gen-Z, demanded better,’ Suwedi concluded, forecasting pragmatic politics ahead.