Former prime minister Baburam Bhattarai on Tuesday advised Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal not to put out the begging bowl to foreigners for the country’s economic development.

Bhattarai, once the long-time deputy of Dahal in the Maoist party, was present at Baluwatar on Tuesday along with other former prime ministers whom PM Dahal had invited to seek suggestions on the agendas of his India visit starting Thursday.

While most of the former prime ministers who were present in the meeting suggested that PM Dahal focus on implementation of the previously agreed upon projects instead of signing new ones, Bhattarai presented his 10-point suggestion on behalf of his party, Naya Shakti Nepal.

Besides Bhattarai, former prime ministers Sher Bahadur Deuba, Madhav Kumar Nepal and Lokendra Bahadur Chand were present in the meeting.

“Gone are the days of cadging foreign support for economic development. For rapid economic revolution, we should seek line of credit, not loan; we should focus on capital investment and lay stress on economic relations,” reads the suggestion letter forwarded by Bhattarai. “We have to adopt a policy of obtaining soft loan, instead of grant, for building large infrastructure. We should seek soft loan from India or somewhere else and build the much-talked about Kathmandu-Nijgadh Fast Track on our own.”

The former Maoist leader has also urged PM Dahal to take special initiatives to resolve the problems and clear misunderstandings surrounding Nepal-India relations and review the bilateral treaties, including the 1950 Peace and Friendship Treaty, based on the recommendations made by the Eminent Persons’ Group (EPG).

An agreement to form the EPG was reached during Bhattarai’s tenure as prime minister in 2011. The second meeting of the EPG is scheduled to be held in India soon after PM Dahal’s visit.

He has also called on to develop the bilateral ties between the two sovereign nations based on the charter of the United Nations, and principles of Panchasheel. “It will be difficult to improve Nepal-India ties based on the concepts dating back to the Second World War and Cold War,” the suggestion letter says. 

Bhattarai’s 10-point suggestion touches upon a wide range of issues—from Extradition and Mutual Legal Assistance to Nepal-India strip maps to trade deficit to flooding on the border areas.

Mahat hints at new deals

KATHMANDU: Minister for Foreign Affairs Prakash Sharan Mahat said on Tuesday that some new agreements will be signed during Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal’s visit to India. PM Dahal is leaving for India on Thursday on a state visit. Mahat, who returned from New Delhi after completing his three-day official visit, told reporters after his return that he has “laid positive foundation” for the PM’s visit. “Our focus will be implementation of past agreements and pacts,” said Mahat. “But there will be some new agreements as well,” he added. (PR)