Kathmandu, October 25
Dr Tara Bhusal, an economics professor at Tribhuvan University (TU), has criticised Finance Minister Dr Swarnim Wagle for his remarks during a visit to India.
Referring to Wagle’s address at the NDTV World Summit, Bhusal raised questions about the minister’s statements in a social media post.
“It is positive in itself for an established economist with extensive experience at the World Bank and UNDP, and Nepal’s finance minister, to discuss the economy and regional cooperation on an international platform. However, the media platform, political context and strategic timing raise some serious questions,” Bhusal wrote.
Bhusal also questioned whether diplomatic protocol had been observed.
“Did the manner in which a sitting finance minister of one country posed questions to another country’s foreign minister from the audience, and his presentation at a political platform in Delhi, comply with diplomatic protocol?” he wrote. “If this visit is an attempt to seek Delhi’s blessing or legitimacy for future power arrangements, it raises questions once again about Nepal’s independent foreign policy and national dignity.”
Bhusal also questioned the views Wagle expressed at the summit.
“There is no doubt that blind anti-India nationalism is wrong. However, not being anti-India does not mean forgetting Nepal’s genuine economic and geographical concerns and simply echoing the Indian establishment,” he wrote.
Finance Minister Wagle is currently visiting India. Speaking at the NDTV World Summit 2026 in New Delhi, he said the era of interpreting Nepali nationalism as opposition to India had ended.
Emphasising that the younger generation aspires to economic prosperity and good governance, Wagle said Nepal’s foreign policy was moving in a positive direction.
He said decades of ideological conditioning had created a narrative linking Nepali nationalism with anti-India sentiment.
“But our generation is different. We have seen the world, and our aspirations are economic. We want good jobs, good governance and good relations with our neighbours,” Wagle said. “So, I can say with great happiness that the era of linking Nepali nationalism with ‘anti-Indianism’ is now over.”
Responding to these remarks, Bhusal said he had expected Wagle to uphold fact-based diplomacy with self-respect rather than deliver a speech aimed merely at pleasing Delhi.
Bhusal also said the finance minister had remained silent on issues that required attention. In his view, Wagle had failed to address Nepal’s trade deficit and strategic concerns.
“From an economic perspective, the core issues in Nepal-India relations are non-tariff barriers, the trade deficit, India’s monopoly in energy trade, and disputed border issues such as Kalapani and Lipulekh,” Bhusal added.
Accusing Wagle of limiting his remarks to relatively safe and less contentious subjects, such as economic cooperation and disaster management, Bhusal said the minister had overlooked these serious concerns.
“Using emotional expressions such as ‘joined at the hip’ while sidelining such serious issues does not strengthen Kathmandu’s diplomatic credibility or bargaining power,” he wrote.
Bhusal also questioned the choice of platform for Wagle’s remarks.
Under the heading “Corporate- and Power-Backed Media Narrative”, he wrote that NDTV World’s editorial impartiality and its perceived inclination towards the Modi government had become widely known following its acquisition by the Adani Group. He alleged that Delhi had used such platforms to project its soft power and portray its foreign policy as successful.
Recalling Wagle’s remarks, Bhusal asked: “How hasty was it to go there and issue a ‘certificate’ on behalf of Kathmandu, declaring that the era of anti-India nationalism in Nepal had ended?”
He further questioned whether the remarks amounted to a surrender-oriented assurance from Nepal’s new political leadership to the Indian establishment.
Wagle’s statements have also drawn criticism from political leaders and party cadres.
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