NEW DELHI: Foreign minister Sushma Swaraj on Monday rubbished claims that India had imposed a blockade of supplies on the Indo-Nepal border, saying New Delhi was regularly sending truckloads of medicines to Kathmandu. Swaraj also rejected the allegation of adopting "big brother" approach towards Nepal while saying that India respects its sovereignty and wants to see the neighbouring country itself resolve the present crisis through consensus.

Replying to a short duration discussion on the state of India-Nepal relations in Rajya Sabha , Swaraj said, "Why would we create any blockade for a country we share good relations with?" She said India was keen to send medicines to Nepal even by air and had asked the Nepal government to send a list, which has not come so far. "We are not inhuman….There are more than 11,000 Indian trucks stranded near the India-Nepal border due to Madhesi protests ," she said.

During the debate, the minister strongly rejected 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….a caring brother," Swaraj said.

She said, "Nepal is a sovereign country and we respect its sovereignty. We are not prescriptive but only give advice".

Swaraj said the government was willing to send a parliamentary delegation to Nepal. "Government shares the sentiments of the House. We are also concerned with the atmosphere there and hope a solution is found," she said.

"We are moving forward to a solution through mutual talks so that Madhesis also get justice and the people of Nepal who are suffering due to the crisis of commodities also get relief," she said. The minister was replying to a debate during which MPs expressed concern over the deterioration in ties.

Swaraj said the government shares their sentiments as also the worries of Nepal which has been hit by a blockade of supplies from India due to an agitation by Madhesis over the newly-adopted Constitution. "Still a way can be found... We are doing the same... We want to see a resolution through consensus so that supplies can be restored at the earliest," the foreign minister said.

She added, "India has conveyed this to the Nepal government as well as the agitating Madhesis. We hope some solution will emerge in 5-7 days." Swaraj said India is worried also because if the agitation by Madhesis turns violent, it will affect this country.

During her speech, Swaraj attacked Congress MP Mani Shankar Aiyar for making some adverse comments about India's role and for suggesting that rather than the foreign minister, somebody "authoritarian" was dictating the policy. "Mani has the habit of creating rifts. He has tried to create a rift between me and my leaders…He also tried to create rift with Nepal," she said. She strongly objected to Aiyar's remarks that an Indian delegation should go to Nepal and convey that the "Modi government rather than India" was behind the situation.

Hitting back at Congress for questioning the government's handling of the situation, the minister said such a blockade had taken place earlier also during Rajiv Gandhi's tenure which lasted for over a year between March 1989 and June 1990.

Responding to Congress's Renuka Chowdhury's claim that Indo-Nepal relations were cordial during UPA government, the external affairs minister said "the fact remains that for 17 years, no Indian Prime Minister went to Nepal, out of which there was your government for 10 years."

At the same time, she said Nepal had suddenly adopted the Constitution in two days without any debate, making two amendments in the interim Constitution of 2007, which made the Madhesis to feel that they have lost all rights in that country. She said India had been engaged with all political parties of Nepal in the framing of the Constitution since January this year but was surprised when it was suddenly announced in August that it had been adopted.

India then told Nepal to nullify the two amendments before promulgation of the Constitution and the then Prime Minister Sushil Koirala had seen reason in this and done so. Rejecting the charge that India had sent its foreign secretary S Jaishankar as if he was "Lord Curzon", Swaraj said he had gone only to convey concerns that if the agitation turns violent, it would affect India too.

She also rejected JD(U) MP Pavan Varma's allegation that the MEA and the embassy were not on the same page, saying both have been working in tandem.