Miscellaneous
‘India has softened its position on Nepal’
India has softened its position on Nepal and the new constitution, “indirectly welcoming the statute it had only noted” a year ago, Deputy PM and Finance Minister Krishna Bahadur Mahara said.Tika R Pradhan
India has softened its position on Nepal and the new constitution, “indirectly welcoming the statute it had only noted” a year ago, Deputy PM and Finance Minister Krishna Bahadur Mahara said.
Mahara’s assessment comes amid criticism of Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal for ‘bending over backwards’ to appease India without reciprocal concession from New Delhi during his India visit earlier this month. He claimed that the Indian position on Nepal had changed after Dahal’s Delhi tour.
“Welcoming the new constitution of Nepal in an indirect way was one of the examples of the change in India’s stance on Nepal,” Mahara told the Post in an interview on Friday.
Mahara, who had played a crucial role in toppling the government led by CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli in which his CPN (Maoist Centre) had a stake, said there was a lot of introspection in India over its Nepal policies.
On Chinese President’s Nepal visit, Mahara, who went to China as the PM’s special envoy shortly after his appointment, said that Xi Jinping would visit Nepal at an opportune time, hinting at a delay.
The former Maoist general secretary was of the view that the politicians who have been criticising the PM for his joint statement with his Indian counterpart were doing so without full comprehension of wider politics. “China and India also work together on some issues. Why can Nepal not do so?” Mahara asked. He clarified that Nepal and India forming similar views on world affairs was only a temporary understanding for an alliance at forums including the United Nations.
He also said that media reports claiming PM Pushpa Kamal Dahal’s meeting with the chief of the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority could be true even though “I have no information about it”.
Mahara said the CIAA would probably not continue with its investigation into reports of funds misappropriation in the former Maoist cantonments but even if it did it would lead the case nowhere.
Convention committee may be reduced to 499-member
KATHMANDU: With scathing criticisms of its 2500-member General Convention Organising Committee from party members, the CPN (Maoist Centre) is mulling over bringing the number down to 499. A majority of the two dozen secretariat members speaking in Saturday’s meeting held at the party headquarters made the suggestion. The smaller figure was the number of central members decided to be put together during the merger of 10 different Maoist forces in May. Maoist leader Mani Thapa said the party might follow the suggestion of the secretariat members to downsize the convention organising committee.
He said the party would reach a decision in the regard considering that the unity convention has already been postponed owing to party Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal’s busy schedule since his appointment as the prime minister. The meeting is expected to take decisions concerning the party’s organisational structure on Sunday. (PR)