Former Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has criticised the government of Narendra Modi for putting up a blockade against Nepal.

In an interview with India Today magazine, he said that “with regard to Nepal, once again we have a situation where the government there is accusing the government of India of putting up a blockade, and that is very unfortunate.”

In reference to the Madhesi feeling they have not been given their full rights in a democratic Nepal, Singh said that India should have acted about it much sooner than it did. “The constitution of Nepal was being approved on September 20, 2015, and the foreign secretary was sent [to Kathmandu] to convey a hard message to the Nepali government only a couple or so days before that.” He said this was not a very good way of tackling a very difficult problem.

Expressing his disapproval for the harsh measure taken by his government against Nepal, Singh said that if India did feel there was a problem with the constitution, the government should have quietly told the Nepalis what they felt and talked to them and persuaded them.

“Instead, the government woke up late, just a few days before the constitution was to be adopted. In fact, a majority of Madhesis also voted for the constitution, so the government of India should have been much more conscious of what was going on in Nepali society.

“We have always had leverage with Nepal and we have always utilised it for the good of India-Nepal relations.

“Nepal is closest neighbour and we must make every effort to ensure that we attend to their perceptions.

“Even when they are wrong, we have an obligation to create an environment

in which the common people in Nepal feel that in India they have a great friend,” said Singh.