On the eve of the much-talked about royal visit to India, a leading Indian analyst– said to be close to South Block, General (Retd.) Ashok Mehta, has said India would not support what he said the ‘direct rule’ by the King in Nepal.

Talking to BBC Nepali Service Wednesday evening, General Mehta said we have heard about this (that the King wants to rule the country directly). “(India will tell the King) We do not support this,” said Mehta, who had worked with the Indian Gurkhas during his military career.

“There is no legitimate political authority in Nepal right now. Hence, there is the need to establish the  parliament,” said Mehta. He said it was up to the King how to do that—either  by invoking Article 127 of the Constitution or through the court.

Interestingly, General Mehta outlined the future political course for Nepal—that has witnessed a prolonged political stalemate for over two years now—saying that under the guidance and supervision of the King, an all-party political conference should be convened, which would then invite the Maoists for peace negotiations.

“The royal role so far had been that of divide and rule. Now, it should be (to) unite and get everybody together,” said Mehta. “Only the King can accomplish this task  in such a difficult time. Therefore, he has to be ‘constructive’ in the true sense of the word,” he added.

Responding to a query by Rabindra Mishra of the BBC Nepali Service that if the US could support Pakistan on the issue of insurgency in Afghanistan why India could not do so in Nepal, General Mehta— who was instrumental in organizing a seminar on Nepal in New Delhi early this month—said there were differences in the situation between Pakistan and Nepal.

“India has always been saying that multi-party democracy and constitutional monarchy should co-exist in Nepal,” If the Nepal King has any plan (to rule directly,  after his India visit), India would not give its consent to such an act,”  said Mehta. He further said the US and British governments have already conveyed that they will not support such a move. He did not elaborate.

Saying that the Maoist insurgency is a common and shared challenge both for  Nepal and India, General Mehta said India would continue its military assistance to Nepal but would advise Nepal to bring back its around three thousand Royal Nepalese Army personnel that are currently serving in the UN peacekeeping operations. “Nepal needs those soldiers back (to combat insurgency),” he added.

Mehta’s comments have come amid reports that India was not happy with the RNA’s counter-insurgency operations despite its military assistance worth over Rs five billion to Nepal.

When asked if there was a possibility of Indian military intervention in Nepal as was the case in Sri Lanka in the mid-eighties, General Mehta said he did not see any such possibility. “If, for instance, the Maoists blockaded Kathmandu and prepared to capture the capital (though they don’t have such strength), there could be an operation by the Indian Air Force and (Indian) commandos at the specific request of the Nepal government for a limited period only. But it could happen only in the worst-case scenario,” he added.

Analysts say recent reports in the Indian media and General Mehta’s latest remarks could give  an indication of the mood of the Indian establishment on the eve of the royal visit to New Delhi.