Kathmandu, 24 February (H.S.): In a bold pre-election pivot, Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) Prime Ministerial hopeful Balendra “Balen” Shah excised the contentious Nepal-China Friendship Industrial Park from his manifesto on Monday, challenging CPN-UML chief KP Sharma Oli in Jhapa-5.

Shah, contesting in Oli’s stronghold ahead of March 5 polls, omitted the multi-billion-rupee project despite Oli reaffirming commitment in his 41-point pledge last week. RSP aide Kumar Vyanjanakar cited project disputes as rationale, noting awareness of diplomatic frictions tied to the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) venture launched by Oli in February 2021.

Situated near the India-Nepal border by the sensitive Siliguri Corridor—“Chicken’s Neck”—the 1,490-hectare park between Ratuwah and Mawa rivers draws scrutiny from New Delhi over security implications. Nepal Investment Board approved 64 billion rupees from Lhasa Economic & Technology Development Zone Jingping, with 26 Chinese firms committed and 98 more pending under PPP model.

Industrial Park Committee Chair Govind Thapa fired back on Facebook, blaming “foreign hurdles”—not internal delays—for stalls, insisting it targets consumer goods and thousands of jobs, not arms. He accused Shah’s RSP of opposing vital foreign investment, as experts urge Nepal balance sovereignty with neighbor India’s legitimate concerns.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar