Kathmandu – Vice-chairperson of the Rastriya Swatantra Party, Dr. Swarnim Wagle, expressed dissatisfaction with the government’s delayed response to the Odisha incident and urged the government to ensure the physical and educational safety of Nepali students studying abroad.
Speaking during the House of Representatives meeting on Tuesday, Dr. Wagle criticized Nepal’s foreign affairs machinery for its slow response in addressing the incident at KIIT University in Bhubaneswar, Odisha. He stated that Nepali students were left in a difficult situation due to the failure to take timely action.
“There was a series of mistreatment of Nepali students in Odisha. The initial release stated that all Nepali students should leave the university and return to Nepal. The situation required immediate action. Had we engaged with the foreign affairs machinery as soon as Parliament opened, hundreds of students would not have been left in limbo,” he said.
Dr. Wagle emphasized the need for diplomatic engagement with the Indian government to investigate the matter. He also urged the government to demand guarantees for the physical and educational safety of Nepali students and to take continuous diplomatic initiatives for justice and compensation. “Issuing a press release cannot be considered fulfilling the responsibility,” he added.
Dr. Wagle further pointed out that Parliament should play a more effective role in addressing such sensitive incidents and stressed the importance of making Nepal’s foreign policy more proactive in the future.