Kathmandu: Maoist leader Prachanda, who led
a guerrilla war against monarchy in Nepal for over a decade,
on Monday said India should hold talks with Naxals to find a
peaceful solution.
Denying that Maoists in Nepal have any links with their
counterparts in India, Prachanda said any such accusations are
"false" and "uncalled for".
"Maoists may have relations based on their common
Communist thinking. And this is true for Maoists anywhere in
the world. But we have no links with Indian Maoists either
physical or organisational," Prachanda told visiting Indian
journalists here.
Commenting on the Naxal problem in India, the former
Nepalese prime minister said, "We want that Maoists should
have talks with the Indian government to find a peaceful
solution."
The former rebels had joined mainstream politics in 2008
after the abolition of 240 years of monarchy. Following this,
constituent assembly elections took place in which the former
rebels led by Prachanda emerged victorious.
The Constituent Assembly then elected Prachanda as the
country`s prime minister in August, 2008.
To a question that Nepal`s relations had deepened more
with China than India during his regime, the Maoist leader
said, "Nepali people and their country`s interest was above
everything. And for Nepal`s national interest, it is necessary
to have friendly ties with both India and China".
Prachanda also hoped that the drafting of the
constitution will be completed within the deadline of May 28
and said, "discussions are going on among the political
parties in this regard".
PTI
