United Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda' has assured New Delhi that his party is not anti-India but wants it to revisit the 1950 India-Nepal Treaty. For, it has lost its relevance, he told Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao during her recent visit to Kathmandu.
However, official sources refer to statements and anti-India incidents allegedly engineered by frontal organisations of the UCPN (Maoist) to put a dampener on his claim. At the same time, they felt that Indo-Nepal ties were too strong to be damaged by negative statements or actions that sought to dilute them.
“The Maoists have engaged in anti-India propaganda and there have been incidents in the Terai. But when Ms. Rao met Prachanda he assured her that his party was not anti-India but would like a review of earlier norms and value that have guided bilateral ties,” the sources said.
“By this they [Maoists] mean a revision of the 1950 India-Nepal Treaty. We are prepared to discuss this and would like to know what ideas are there on their side. There has been no concrete feedback from any quarter, even from the Maoists,” the sources added.
Ms. Rao was in Nepal to listen to an assessment of the current situation by a broad spectrum of political opinion, media and intellectuals.
It was felt that the situation was still quite complicated, but the move to rehabilitate armed Maoist cadres was a positive development.
“The rules of business have changed, and the Supreme Court has ruled that no parliamentarian can abstain from voting. We are hoping that there is some resolution. The UCPN (Maoist), being the largest party, is obviously looking to lead the government. Obviously, we don't want to be seen as interfering. The people of Nepal will decide which party they opt for,” the sources said.
