India had to halt the recruitment rally for Nepalese Gorkhas under the Agneepath scheme, scheduled to start on August 25, due to the silence of the Sher Bahadur Deuba government in Nepal. The Gorkha Recruitment Depot Gorakhpur in Butwal, Nepal, was set to organize the rally for Agniveers from August 25 to September 7. However, the Indian Embassy in Nepal’s request for permission from Nepal’s Foreign Ministry went unanswered, causing the rally to be canceled.
Minendra Rizal, a senior leader in Nepal’s Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba’s party Nepali Congress and the Defense Minister in the same government, stated that it is not easy for the government to give a definitive yes or no. He pointed out that Nepal has a coalition government, and parliamentary elections are approaching, making it difficult to make a clear decision.
When questioned about the government’s stance, Nepal government spokesperson Gyanendra Bahadur Karki deflected the query to the Defense Secretary. Defense Secretary Kiran Raj Sharma responded that there was no information yet and suggested discussing it later. The Deuba government appears hesitant to take a firm stand, likely to avoid alienating both allies and opposition, as well as India.
A poster from the Indian Embassy’s Defense Wing has been displayed at Agneepath in the pension camp in Kathmandu for the Nepalese Gorkhas in the Indian Army. On June 14, the Indian Army announced the Agneepath scheme for army recruitment, targeting youth aged 17 to 21. Under this scheme, recruits, known as Agniveers, will serve for four years, after which only 25% will be offered regular positions based on performance. The remaining 75% will have to return.
The Agneepath scheme has faced violent protests in several Indian states, and now Nepal is also reluctant to accept it. Since independence, Nepalese Gorkhas have been recruited into the Indian Army under a tripartite treaty signed between India, Nepal, and Britain in 1947. The main concern in Nepal is the future of the youth who return after four years of service. The current Sher Bahadur Deuba government is supported by former Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda’s Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre) and other leftist parties, adding to the complexity of the decision-making process.
