Kathmandu: Maoist supremo Prachanda, who
earlier blamed India for the deepening political crisis in the
country, today sought clarification from New Delhi about the
reported remarks of Indian Army chief opposing en masse
integration of the PLA guerrillas into the Nepal military, a
news report said.
The UCPN-Maoist chairman today discussed Nepal's
political developments, including the deepening political
crisis with Bhagat Singh Koshiyari, the former Indian Chief
Minister of Uttarakhand.
During the discussion, Prachanda sought an explanation
on the reported remarks of Deepak Kapoor opposing en masse
integration of the former Maoists guerrillas into the Nepal
Army, said Republica newspaper, which quoted the state-run
RSS news agency as saying.
Koshiyari, a top leader of India's main opposition
Bharatiya Janata Party, told Prachanda that Kapoor?s statement
was not an official statement of the Indian government and his
party, the report said.
Indian Ambassador Rakesh Sood yesterday met Prachanda
ahead of his visit to New Delhi to brief the government on the
political developments in Nepal, according to sources at the
Indian Embassy.
Kapoor’s reported remark has been flayed by Prachanda,
who has accused India of "naked interference" in Nepal.
Prachanda has also demanded the scrapping of the 1950
Indo-Nepal Peace and Friendship Treaty along with all other
"unequal" pacts with India. The former rebel leader has called
for the withdrawal of Indian troops from Kalapani, a disputed
part of Nepal’s territory on the borders of India, Nepal and
China.
His remarks come ahead of a planed three-day visit by
Indian Foreign Minister S M Krishna to Nepal in mid-January.
Nepalese political parties are deadlocked over the
Maoists' demand to rectify the decision of President Ram Baran
Yadav, who reinstated General Rukmangad Katawal, the then Army
Chief dismissed by Prime Minister Prachanda in May.
The deepening political crisis has put new
stresses on Nepal's reconciliation efforts after the end of
the insurgency in 2006, amid fears that the already stalled
peace process may be derailed.
PTI
First Published: Monday, December 28, 2009, 19:56