90 per cent of Interference in Nepal comes from India: Mahara

In an exclusive interview with the Kantipur Daily dated September 20, 2009, Mr. Krishna Bahadur Mahara of the Unified Maoists’ party accepts that in the fresh visit of party Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal to Hong Kong, the Maoists’ team had met with some high placed China's leadership.

Say experts, the Maoist’s Party of Nepal that is sharing worst relations with India after the fall of the Maoists’ led government on May 4, 2009, the increasing hobnob with the Chinese regime of the Maoists’ leadership thereafter, and, of late Prachanda’s secret meeting with the Chinese leadership in Hong Kong has sent (it has already been sent) spine chilling waves to the coercive New Delhi leadership which unfortunately provided shelter to the leaders of the Maoists’ Party, including Mr. Mahara for over a decade. What an unjust world? Bear with it!

Mahara replying to a query posed by Kantipur says that Mrs. Nirupama Rao, the Indian Foreign Secretary while in Kathmandu had met with Dr. Babu Ram Bhattarai, the Maoists’ party vice chairman and her meet with Bhattarai meant that the Maoists party still accorded priority to the Indian establishment.

“What could show our respect to her than our vice chairman meeting her” Mahara asks.

Mahara, the international bureau chief of the Maoists party however, rejects the idea that the Maoists’ want enhanced relations with China at the cost of India.

“We have good relations with various political forces of India as well”, Mahara thus politely rubs ointment in the Indian wound.

“We feel that we must share enhanced relations with China as well, we are in the process of developing such relations with the northern neighbor...the practice has already begun", adds Mahara.

“Not just India and China, we must build cordial and friendly relations with other countries, beyond the countries in the neighborhood.”

“We are positive towards relations that Nepal shares with India”, he says adding, “But, we will never tolerate the Indian interference in Nepali politics.”

“Yes, our relations with India are slightly strained but not at that level as that could not be corrected", he continues.

Some Indian citizens are worried in having concluded that the Nepali Maoists did not come to their fold”, Mahara says forwarding a suggestion that “such mindset must be changed.”

“There is absolutely no space to criticize Chinese political interference in Nepal”, he says “as far as interference of India and China is concerned in Nepal affairs, the fact is that of the total, 90 per cent of political interference in Nepal originate from the Indian side”.

A daring declaration indeed.

Mahara honestly tells the Kantipur that “Chinese interference may only account to 10 per cent”.

“China is clear on its Nepal policy”, Mahara says, “The Chinese support is clear in that it comes through the proper channel of the Nepal Government.”