Greater Nepal:The New Beginning

 

Greater Nepal is a concept in Nepal that seeks to reclaim territories currently under the control of India and Bangladesh, extending beyond Nepal's existing boundaries. It is an irredentist notion that asserts historical claims over areas that were under Nepal's control from 1791 to 1816, until the Anglo-Nepalese War and the signing of the Sugauli Treaty. The Greater Nepal Nationalist Front, an activist organization, advocates for the return of these territories, including significant portions of present-day Indian states such as Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, and certain areas of Bangladesh. They demand that these territories be "returned" to Nepal.

 In June 2023, the mayor of Kathmandu responded to an alleged "Akhand Bharat" map in the Indian Parliament building by displaying a map similar to the Greater Nepal concept in his office. This act was seen as a reaction to the perceived expansionist map and was intended to assert Nepal's claims over the disputed territories.

Background Of Greater Nepal

During the unification efforts led by Prithvi Narayan Shah in 1743, Nepal's territory extended from the Sutlej to the Teesta River. However, Gorkha rule over these expanded territories lasted only until 1815. The Gorkhali presence in Garhwal lasted for 12 years, in Kumaon for 24 years, and in Sikkim for 33 years. The expansion of Gorkha came to an end following the 1814-1815 war with the East India Company. The Treaty of Sugauli, ratified in 1816 between the Gorkhali king and the East India Company, resulted in the loss of approximately 176,000 square kilometers of territory for Nepal's rulers, as indicated in the Greater Nepal map.

Movement Of The Greater Nepal

Nationalist Front For Greater Nepal: The Greater Nepal Nationalist Front (GNNF) is a Nepalese non-governmental organization led by Phanindra Nepal that advocates for the cause of Greater Nepal. The organization rejects the 1810 Sugauli Treaty and the 1950 Treaty of Peace and Friendship with India. It calls for the return of the land that belonged to Nepal prior to the signing of the Sugauli Treaty. This includes territories extending up to the Sutlej River in the west, the Teesta River in the east (referred to as "Shimla to Darjeeling" by the organization), and reaching as far as Varanasi in the south.According to scholars Mishra and Haque, the Greater Nepal Nationalist Front is known for its powerful rhetoric. The organization's map of Greater Nepal evokes strong emotions and nostalgic sentiments, lending strength to the movement. The GNNF maintains a website in the Nepali language, as well as Facebook pages and blog sites. Its agenda has also been adopted by the Unified Nepal National Front.Additionally, there is a more ambitious movement known as the "Unified Gorkha-States of India Sub-Continent," which envisions restructuring the Indian subcontinent into five autonomous states. The largest among them is the self-proclaimed "Arya Autonomous State."

2.Nepalese Maoists claims

A Maoist movement has recently released a comprehensive Nepali book titled "Nepal: Teesta Dekhi Satlej Samma" ("Nepal: From Teesta to the Sutlej"), which echoes similar demands as the Greater Nepal Nationalist Front (GNNF) and presents numerous references to alleged historical facts. One of the claims made in the book is that the former Indian Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, supported the concept of "Greater Nepal." Their map includes several Indian towns such as Varanasi, Ballia, Bahraich, Pilibhit, and Jaunpur. 

Following the 2008 Nepalese Constituent Assembly election, when the leader of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist), Pushpa Kamal Dahal (also known as Prachanda), became the Prime Minister through a coalition government, he announced the intention to "scrap" the 1950 Indo-Nepal Treaty of Peace and Friendship. This decision was made despite Dahal having spent ten years in India after being labeled a terrorist by the Nepalese government. However, no further action was taken on this matter.

Prachanda later dismissed the claims made in the book as a "media-created stunt" in an interview with the Times of India. Nevertheless, according to the Times of India, the book is readily available in and around the Maoist camps along the Indo-Nepal border.

Different Reasearch Program

Nepalese scholars, including Buddhi Narayan Shrestha, the former Director of the Survey Department, and Dwarika Nath Dhungel, the former secretary of the Water Resources Ministry, have conducted research and published articles along with maps illustrating the territories of Greater Nepal. Shrestha has also participated in gatherings that advocate for Greater Nepal and has expressed his support through media comments.

Shrestha asserts that the land that Nepal lost to the East India Company should not belong to India but rather to Nepal itself. He argues that prior to the Sugauli Treaty, Nepal's territory extended as far as the confluence of the Gandak and Ganges Rivers in the south, and up to Shigatse and Tashilhunpo in the north. According to Shrestha, this larger territory was referred to as "Greater Nepal," although he does not specify who coined the term. He claims that British India opposed the idea of a unified Greater Nepal and deliberately fragmented it. Shrestha alleges that the British desired to expand trade with Tibet, and since Nepal stood in their way, they sought to diminish its influence.

Media Controversies:

In 2023, when the Indian assembly displayed a map of the Mauryan Empire that incorporated certain Nepali territories like Lumbini and Kapilavastu, the mayor of Kathmandu, Balen Shah, responded by placing a map of Greater Nepal in his office as a form of protest. The inclusion of Nepali territories in the Mauryan Empire map stirred up controversies not only in Nepal but also in Bangladesh and Pakistan.

Nepal Government And Result:

Nepal does not officially make any claims regarding the concept of Greater Nepal. According to Kanak Mani Dixit, as of 1993, the mainstream Left in Nepal seems to have mixed feelings about the idea. They may support the concept in principle but are not actively taking any steps to pursue it.

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