CPN-UML chair and former prime minister KP Sharma Oli took a jibe against the government on various foreign policy matters and accused Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal of surrendering to foreign powers to stay in power.

“Though we are talking about unity among parties on the matter of foreign policy, we do not know what the prime ministers are compromising on with foreign nations to remain in power,” said Oli while addressing a function of the party’s Department of Foreign Affairs on Saturday.

“We do not know what agreements were reached during the India visit of the prime minister. The prime minister has not informed us.”

He said that when issues related to foreign affairs come up, “then we talk for unity among us but we do not know what the prime ministers and governments are reaching an understanding on with foreign countries.”

“Either we know only after signing of the agreements or we never know them,” Oli added.

During his hour-long speech and the question-answer session, Oli talked about issues with India including about the southern neighbour receiving the report of the Eminent Persons’ Group (EPG) on Nepal-India relations, boundary dispute with India, Nepal’s vote against Russian aggression, which he termed as a deviation in Nepal’s foreign policy as well it being against the spirit of non-alignment principle.

He said some prime ministers have abandoned the constitution and law when they land in trouble and reached agreements with foreign countries in order to remain in power. Giving the example of Prime Minister Dahal, the former prime minister said that recently the prime minister visited India but he did not take up issues that are important to the country.

“The current prime minister just visited India but he did not inform us as to which agreements he will be signing with India,” Oli said. “He did not do what he should have done in India. The prime minister did not raise the issue of EPG, did not raise the issue of our territory, or our boundary. These issues needed to be settled but he did not raise them. That visit was such a weak one that it only focused on how to remain in power and was not in the country’s interest.”

Oli said his party is always ready to discuss issues of foreign policy and international relations with other parties. “But we will not compromise on our national interest,” he added.

Oli criticised the present Dahal government and India, but also said that Nepal wants good, stable relations with India and wants to resolve the various outstanding issues with it.

“We do not want any kind of tension with our neighbouring countries. Nepal cannot afford that,” he said. “We want friendly relations with our neighbours and we should keep our position clear on various disputed issues.”

Oli went on, “We should resolve the dispute through the talks. We have never blockaded India because we do not have the capacity to impose a blockade against India, but India did it several times. Problems on the border happen with India and China because they are our neighbours with whom we share long borders. If we cannot tell our problems to friends, and cannot raise our legitimate concerns, then what is the use of the state and government? What is the use of going with a delegation on a state visit when you cannot talk.”

Several former ambassadors and those who have an interest in foreign policy asked Oli questions. Oli criticised Nepal’s vote against Russian invasion of Ukraine. Nepal voted against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine during a vote at the United Nations General Assembly.

According to Oli, Nepal’s vote against Russian aggression was a departure from Nepal’s stated foreign policy that is based on non-alignment and neutrality. “We should not be taking a side,” he said. “India had maintained neutrality but we sneaked inside where two bulls were fighting each other.”

“Maintaining neutrality is our core strength. We are in favour of peace and we have always stood in favour of peace, not war. If we lose the neutrality by siding with one party, that does not give us any mileage,” Oli said.

The then Sher Bahadur Deuba government had condemned the attack on Ukraine by Russia and had voted against Russian aggression at the United Nations General Assembly but remained absent while evicting Russia from the membership of the UN Human Rights Council.

Oli said foreign policy should not be based on ideology but he failed to mention the 2019 agreement reached between the Chinese Communist Party and the dissolved Nepal Communist Party when he was the prime minister.