Date 2015 (2015) | Location Nepal | |
 | ||
Cause Protest against Blockade in Nepal | ||
#BackoffIndia is a Twitter hashtag and social media campaign against intervention of India in Nepal's affairs and blockade to Nepal. It was used by Nepalese around the world to accuse India of interfering in the country’s internal matters. As of 12 December 2015, more than 6,750 tweets have been created in Twitter with this hashtag.
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Background
On 20 September 2015, Nepal adopted the new Constitution of Nepal after the announcement by Rambaran Yadav , the then President of Nepal in the house of parliament. It was passed with 90% approval from the representatives in Nepal's Constituent Assembly (CA). On 16 September 2015, out of the 598 members of the Constituent Assembly, 507 voted for the new constitution, 25 voted against, and 66 abstained in a vote. Some small parties of the Tharu and Madhesi ethnic communities organized protests against the constitution, leading to widespread violence in southern Nepal. The Nepal government has accused India of unofficially backing this protest by slowing or stopping traffic from crossing the border into Nepal completely.
Hatred towards India
Despite centuries long relation between the two nations, many Nepalese has shown their hatred towards Indian government and people. Different political parties have launched anti-India campaign in different issues. Nepalese has shown hatred towards India for different issues such as Territorial disputes, dispute over birthplace of Gautama Buddha, intervention on internal issues and for supporting 2015 Nepal blockade.
Incidents involving the Indian film Industry
Nepalese have demonstrated many times against Indian film stars and movies. There were protests in Nepal in 1986 over Subhash Ghai’s film Karma starring the superstar Dilip Kumar as the film showed a map in which Nepal was depicted as part of India. In 1998 David Dhawan’s Gharwali Baharwali triggered outrage and public protests for showing incorrect and baseless Nepalese cultures and traditions in the film. In 1998 Bollywood star Madhuri Dixit apologized after an uproar over her remarks that Nepal was a part of India. At a function in Kathmandu on 22 December Madhuri said she never realized Nepal was not part of India. In December 2000 another Indian film star Hrithik Roshan allegedly said in an interview he gave to Star Plus (TV channel) that he hated Nepal and Nepalese people. The news spread like a fire in the nation and soon the roads were filled with protestors, mostly students, who burnt his effigy, tore apart his posters, destroyed video cassettes of his movies and even attacked the theaters screening his movie. Although he denied making any such statements, four killed and 12 injured during clashes between police and student demonstrators who were protesting in Kathmandu. In 2009, Nepal banned the Akshay Kumar-starrer Bollywood kungfu comedy Chandni Chowk to China after an erroneous claim in the movie that the Buddha was born in India. The founder of Buddhism was born in southern Nepal and the narrative in the film caused public protests in Nepal, making the then Maoist government decide to ban it. In 2013 Nepalese protested against Zee TV before the release of historical drama Buddhaa-Rajaon Ka Raja for mentioning Buddha was born in India. On the very first day of the series launch, the cable operators of Nepal banned the series to be telecasted all over Nepal as the series previously announced that Buddha was born in India. Later the team behind the series had changed the supposed details of birthplace.
Conflict with Government of India
On 23 September 2015 demonstrators in Kathmandu shouted anti-India slogans to protest the fuel shortage. Nepal Cable Television Association blocked 42 Indian channels in protest against unofficial blockade into the country.