Mission accomplished, claims Dr Bhattarai

HIMALAYAN NEWS SERVICE

KATHMANDU: Vice Chairman of Unified CPN-Maoist Dr Baburam Bhattarai today claimed his four-day India visit had helped improve the soured relations between his party and India. He also hinted at possible Indian support for a Maoist-led government.

“India’s ruling establishment has expressed concern about the souring relationship with Unified CPN-Maoist,” claimed Dr Bhattarai upon arrival at Tribhuvan International Airport this afternoon.

Dr Bhattarai and standing committee member and military in-charge of the party Barshaman Pun were in New Delhi for the last four days to attend a seminar on Nepal organised by Vivekananda Foundation.

He said the Indian establishment has changed its view of UCPN-M. “Earlier, we harboured suspicion regarding the Maoists, but now we are not for isolating the party,” Bhattarai quoted Indian leaders as saying during his meeting with them. “We held very frank discussions on the souring relationship between us and India. I found Indian leaders positive about beginning dialogue to improve relations,” he said.

Bhattarai further said realisation had dawned upon Indian leaders that they were wrong in their approach towards Nepal.

“They expressed their realisation repeatedly saying their aggressive role in Nepal’s political developments was wrong,” he claimed, adding that Indian leaders had become cautious about their moves with regard to Nepal.

Indian leaders clarified they were not for isolating the UCPN-M. “I told them that our party is against undue intervention in Nepali politics, though the party needs the best wishes of our southern neighbour,” he told reporters. “The meetings provided good opportunity to understand each other’s views.”

During his stay in New Delhi, Dr Bhattarai met a number of senior politicians and bureaucrats, including Finance Minister Pranab Mukharjee, Foreign Minister S M Krishna, Home Minister P Chidambaram, opposition leader and leader of Bharatiya Janata Party Sushma Swaraj and general secretary of Bharatiya Communist Party-Marxist Prakash Karat. He also met the Indian PM’s senior security adviser Shiv Shankar Menon, foreign secretary Nirupama Rao and special envoy of Indian Prime Minister Shyam Saran.

Barsha Man Pun said security experts had expressed concern about the open border and were in favour of discussing how best it could be regulated. “They were also concerned about souring diplomatic, economic and political relations between Nepal and India,” he said.

During his interaction with Indian leaders, they showed concern about the political deadlock in Nepal, Bhattarai said, adding that India is of the opinion that the stalemate in Nepal should be resolved through political consensus.

During the two-day international conference, issues ranging from Nepal’s contemporary political situation, peace and constitution writing processes, Nepal’s economic condition, role of the Tarai region and Nepal-India relations were discussed.