By Kamal Raj Sigdel
Maoists Want Talks with India: The United Communist Party of Nepal- Maoist (UCPN-M) wrapped up its third phase of protests and declared a fourth one today (Tuesday) concluding that there was no point in holding talks with local parties since they were all controlled by New Delhi. It was more meaningful to talk directly with Delhi. The party has been hitting the streets demanding the establishment of civilian supremacy in the country. This is the first instance since the 12-point agreement in 2005 that the Maoist leadership has come out openly against what it calls Delhi’s intrusion in Nepali politics. The implication was that the entire peace process was basically between the Maoist party and New Delhi, with other Nepali parties as fringe players.
The party announced that a national awareness campaign would start from Dec. 25 and run for a month. If the speeches made at the party rally on Tuesday were anything to go by, the Maoists will adopt a strong nationalist pitch in the next few weeks. Still, the party leadership displayed ambivalence in its treatment of India. “We are ready to hold talks with New Delhi,” Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal told the party rally, held symbolically outside the Constituent Assembly where the Maoists are the largest party. “But what is the agenda? Are we citizens of a sovereign country?” There was the inevitable frustration with local parties. “For the last six months, I have reached out countless times to the parties, but they have all gone in vain,” said Dahal. “It’s a pity that the parties are helpless when it comes to taking any decision on their own as they are remote-controlled by New Delhi.”
India Reacts to Dahal Statement
By Dinesh Wagle
NEW DELHI – Influential Indian leaders and foreign policy buffs expressed a range of views on Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal’s statements pertaining to India on Tuesday. Dahal had said that he would only talk to New Delhi.
While some termed Dahal’s speech ‘a street talk by an angry leader’, others took it as a reflection of the ‘India will resolve it all’ tendency in Kathmandu.
The Ministry of External Affairs refused to comment. “We don’t want to comment on the internal issues of another country,” said a ministry official.
Former Foreign Minister Yashwant Sinha saw Dahal’s speech as contradictory. “They blame India for interfering and then say they want to hold talks with India,” Sinha said noting that the onus of resolving Nepal’s problems lies with Nepali leaders and elected representatives. According to him, Maoists in Nepal have been trying to impose what they wish. “But in democracy, it doesn’t work that way all the time. “When in the government, they wanted to impose decisions through the Constituent Assembly. Now they want to impose things through force.”
Former Indian Ambassador to Nepal K.V. Rajan said India has always been in touch with all political parties in Kathmandu in one way or the other. “The government could rethink if Dahal means to talk straight with the ministry or the Prime Minister’s Office, skipping the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu,” said Rajan.
Dahal offered five key agendas that should feature in the Nepal-India dialogue: 1) scrapping of the 1950 Nepal-India Friendship Treaty, revision of other unequal bilateral treaties, 3) revision of Indian policy to ensure Nepal’s right to international transit, 3) a tripartite agreement between Nepal, India and China on a long-term strategy for Nepal’s development, 4) Nepal-India border disputes, including Susta, and 5) the Indian army’s withdrawal from Kalapani.
Who is Kapoor to say like that? Dahal expressed serious concern over Indian Army Chief Gen. Deepak Kapoor’s recent remarks against the en masse integration of former Maoist combatants in Nepal Army. Gen. Kapoor’s statement came during Army Chief Chhatra Man Singh Gurung’s India visit that concluded on Saturday. Kapoor had said that “if Maoist fighters wish to join Nepal Army, they should follow the due recruitment procedure as other Nepali citizens aspiring to join the Army.”
“What is the point in India prescribing what should or what should not be done on the Army integration issue, which has been clearly outlined in the Comprehensive Peace Agreement?” asked Dahal, adding that silence on the part of Gen. Gurung was indicative of the fact that the current establishment could not speak against New Delhi “even if the silence could cost us our sovereignty”. Dahal asked: Who is that Kapoor to jeopardize Nepal’s Comprehensive Peace Agreement?”
Fourth Phase: Nationalism on Focus The fourth phase of protests, according to the Maoists, will focus on raising “national awareness” by “exposing clandestine deals” with foreign compradors. “We are approaching a situation when we have to fight not only local compradors but also their foreign masters,” said Maoist Vice-Chairman Baburam Bhattarai. The one-month protest, from Dec. 25 to Jan. 24, is scheduled to culminate in declaration of an indefinite general strike if the government fails to address the party’s demand for a House discussion on the president’s reinstatement of then Army chief Rookmangud Katawal. The Maoist leaders also took strong exception to the government decision to buy arms from India, stating that it breached the peace accord and was a part of the “plot” to derail the peace process and suppress the Maoists.
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Comments
5 responses to “Third Phase of Maoist Agitation Ends With a Threat to India”
Dear editor,
Three days nation wide strike(Bandha) in Nepal- Maoists played the suicidal game in Nepal . The three days nation wide forcefully strike shows their notoriousness. The Maoists are showing their power as a terrorist organization.
It is our unfortunate that during 1990 to 2009, parliamentary democracy was inhered in Nepal but the politicians have learnt no lessons. The King’s rule was much better than the rule of the present leaders. Monarchy is still popular in Nepal. The country has been facing a series of problems due to the mistake of abolishing the royal institution. So, the uncertainty in the country will end only after the reinstatement of monarchy and Hindu & Buddha Kingdom.
Nepalese people
tolerated the worst political practice made by corrupt leaders.
The so-called People’s movement II which was guided by India, were two
vital agendas-Republic & Secular state. Without analyzing the
assumption, the some Indian leaders supported the Nepalese Maoist’s
hypocrisy. I am sorry to write that it was a great blunder of Indian
Government and the notorious diplomats- Shyam Saran, Sive Shankar
Mukharejee , KB Rajan and other officials who not only blundered in their
assessment of Maoist but also did much harm to Indian’s interests in
Nepal. ‘Crows are never the white for washing.’ The situation of Nepal is getting worse day by day. If effective
action are not taken all the situations would further deteriorate.
Some Tarai-based groups are demanding- ‘One Madhesh One Province’
which is never feasible for good governance for the Tarai people.
Geographically, ethnically, linguistically and socially the people
can’t be integrated in One Province. For example, Maithili, Bhojpuri,
Abadhi, Tharu, Rajbanshi, Dhimal and Nepali are among the dominant
languages which are in use in different places. It is an annoyance for
Hill-origin people as well as the indigenous tribes. Because of the
different linguist groups, ‘Nepali’ has become lingua-franca
(communicative language) from many years.
Every citizens and castes in Tarai are furious because some culprit
wants to introduce Hindi to eliminate all the rich and old languages &
rich culture of our Tarai people. To disintegrate country it is
necessary to destroy religion, culture, languages and way of life of
the people. So, the antinationalist want to finish Tarai people’s
language, culture and way of life by introducing the Hindi culture &
language- introducing the Indian dominance. To protect the language &
culture every nationalist Tarai people should be aware of it. The
reality is that the people have no power and are ignored by the
culprit leaders. The agent leaders of Tarai have not accepted the
People’s opinion in Tarai because the indigenous people of Tarai are
not in leadership.
Nepalese people feel ashamed of so called leaders who are giving
slogans to built New Nepal. They are trying to make the people fool.
The so-called founders of the Republic Nepal made us ashamed before
the world. The power mongers, opportunists, corrupt, ethics-less,
kidnappers and killers are now the advocators of the so called new
Nepal -Federal Republic Nepal. Due to the nonsense activities of UNMIN
Nepal is in danger position. The democratic powers like USA, European
Union, UNO and others are not sounding against the undemocratic
attitude in Nepal. So, the only ways to stop more bloodshed and to
save democracy is by re-establishing constitutional monarchy and
strengthen parliamentary democracy.
So, I request-Why India has been going to buck-up the Maoists.
Thank you.
Dirgha Raj Prasai
Nepal is undergoing a collective nightmare, suffocating each other and the freedom of opinion is seriously at stake.
There can not be a democracy if there is no freedom of speech.
We all know we will be killed, or somehow attacked if we were somebody to criticize what now is becoming a very terrorist populistic not at all popular Movement.
The rise of violence is shocking, we have witnessed cases around, all are out of their sane minds yet gradually degrading the entire country.
I feel profoundly saddened by the ongoing process, as there is no apparent way back…the declaration of autonomous states meets with degrees of acceptance. The main problem like in Latin America is the poor division of goods. Unequality.
One could not possibly think that bahuns and chhetris will give it all up, yet they are themselves forced to by…guilt, karma, force and other exterior factors.
For Nepal to be a possible country equality has to be encouraged, yet this takes time.
All is sometimes endearing, the fashion, the cuteness, yet it is not going anywhere it is IMPOSSIBLE to educate a nation with banha unlimiteds.
Okay there it goes Republica censors me when I make the Baburam movement digestible, here I feel to do opposite: if they are who they claim to be so called Dr. and so called former President Prachandra let them have a historical sense of duty and service to what used to be a very beloved Himalayan Kingdom nobody hates their own so much to do what they are doing.
I feel no sympathy at all for them, yet I do understand they are on top of a wave, which is going down eventually.
To suffocate a nation. Destroy generations and worse endanger the entire future of this poor n Nepal.
Shoot your enemies.
I think the blog has reason to be.
Long Live the Great Hindu Kingdom of Nepal!!!
[…] the course of agitation to restore civilian supremacy, the UCPN (Maoist) initiated an anti-Indian campaign torching the 1950 India-Nepal treaty, displaying black flags in front of senior government […]
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