India denies blockade of India-Nepal border

Rejecting claims that India had imposed a blockade on the Indo-Nepal border, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said on Monday that New Delhi was regularly sending truckloads of medicines to Kathmandu.

"Why would we create any blockade for a country we share good relations with?" Swaraj said in the Rajya Sabha while replying to a short duration discussion on the state of India-Nepal relations.

She said India had written to the Nepalese prime minister asking for a list of medicines they needed.

"But no response has been received from their side so far. There are more than 11,000 Indian trucks stranded near the India-Nepal border due to Madhesi protests," she said.

The minister denied the charge that India's attitude towards the neighbouring country was that of a big brother.

"It's not like a big brother, but that of an elder brother," Swaraj said adding that India was the first country to send relief to Nepal after a massive earthquake struck the Himalayan nation.

"New Delhi not only provided blankets and food packets, but also made necessary provisions for free food," she said.

Earlier, initiating the discussion, Janata Dal-United leader Pawan Kumar Varma said the government should have held consultations with all political parties on the situation in Nepal.

"A cohesive message should have been sent to Nepal when it was in trouble. New Delhi should act like a friend to Kathmandu and not like a big brother," he said.