KATHMANDU, Aug 6: Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh´s special envoy Shaym Saran descended upon Kathmandu on Wednesday with two objectives: First, to stall growing dissent within the Madhesi parties that could, if unchecked, give Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal the needed majority in parliament to become a prime minister in the fourth round of voting on Friday.
* New PM unlikely on Friday; Real negotiations after Round 4 *
Immediately after arriving in the capital, Saran threw a dinner party for the leaders of the Madhes-based parties in the premises of the Indian Embassy.
Madhesi People’s Rights Forum-Democratic (MPRF-D) Chairman Bijaya Kumar Gachchhadar, MPRF Chairman Upendra Yadav, Tarai Madhes Democratic Party (TMDP) Chairman Mahantha Thakur and Sadbhavana Party Chairman Rajendra Mahato were present on the occasion. The dinner meeting, according to highly placed sources, took stock of the current situation and discussed how to prevent Madhesi lawmakers from crossing the floor in Friday´s voting.
The second objective of Saran’s visit is also to test the waters with the Maoists – how ready are they for rapprochement with India and to work with other parties in Nepal to conclude the peace process and write the constitution in time.
Saran is the best suited person to come to Kathmandu during this vulnerable time since he has excellent rapport with not just the Madhesi leaders but also with most Madhesi lawmakers. Many see him as the architect behind the formation of the Madhesi parties as he was the one who encouraged them during his tenure as Indian Ambassador to Nepal.
He is also seen as the only person in Delhi´s Nepal-policy team who still holds moderate views about the Maoists in Nepal and also has good rapport with the Maoist leadership.
If Saran´s immediate objective was to stall any chances of Maoist Chairman Dahal winning the vote on Friday, his other objective was to assess what India´s stance and strategy should be after the fourth round of voting.
"India, through Saran, wants to test if the Maoists are willing for rapprochement with her and are also ready to move ahead in cooperation with the other parties," said a senior NC leader, adding, "My assessment is that Saran is not very impressed by what the Maoists told him though the Maoist leadership labored hard to impress him."
Saran met Maoist Chairman Dahal at his residence at Nayabazaar, Kathmandu, Thursday along with other Maoist top brass including Maoist Vice-chairmen Mohan Baidya, Dr Baburam Bhattarai and Narayankaji Shrestha, General Secretary Ram Bahadur Thapa and party foreign department chief Krishna Bahadur Mahara.
A senior Maoist leader who attended the meeting with Saran made the following assessment: “India’s policy of creating an environment for an NC-led government failed as it could not press the UML hard enough to vote for the NC since that could have caused a vertical split in the party. So it is now trying to see if the Maoists can be forced to compromise with India in exchange for leadership of the next government."
He further added: “If we don’t make a compromise, India will work to keep the alliance of Madhesi-based parties intact against us.”
When Saran met the NC leaders after Dahal, his message was clear: India favors continuation of the current democratic alliance so long as the Maoists refuse to give up their politics of violence, and until they agree to settle the issue of their combatants.
Source: http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=21911
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