Indian leaders give little attention to UML and NC envoy’s plea

June 2, 2004
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Kathmandu: Though none of the top members housed in the five party alliance against regression did exhibit their temptation for bouncing back to power after Surya Bahadur Thapa tendered his resignation, however, the fact is that each of them were considering Thapa’s resignation as an opportunity for them provided the rest supported their private move.

Madhav’s temptation was blocked by Koirala’s lust for power. Koirala’s chances were made bleak by his own vitriolic attacks on the King and his encouragement provided to the students to go in for republicanism. The fact is that, and many believe it to be so, that the King could not have taken Koirala’s scathing criticisms against him in good taste. To add insult to injury, Madhav Nepal too added fuel to the fire when he met the King in private and is supposed to have told the King that if Koirala were elevated to the ranks of the prime minister could prove disastrous for the Nepali monarchy itself. Madhav Nepal is supposed to have informed the King that it was Koirala who encouraged his party students to chant slogans against the monarchy and that in this affair neither the UML nor its students had any hand.

If this is true then the King must have taken note of Madhav’s polite suggestion. In this manner, Mr. Nepal blocked Koirala’s chances of becoming the prime minister.

The fact is that both Koirala and Mr. Nepal played villain with proper finesse against each other and the result is that the FPA, for good or for bad, could not succeed in sending one clean name to the Palace for its perusal.

Now that none of the FPA members have filed their nomination either as a consensus or individual candidate, the King has now a level playing field. He can now say that he did his best to invite members from the FPA conglomerate and act as per their wishes but the since the latter did not heed to his call hence he was now free to chose a Mr. Clean from among those who have petitioned for their candidacy.

All said and done, one more factor that is being ignored deliberately or otherwise is the reported trip of one UML leader and one Congress stalwart to Nepal’s Mecca, read New Delhi, to get blessings from the new Indian establishment.

The fact is that when the UML knew that the congress man, Chakra Prasad Bastola, was already in Delhi and that he was sent to Delhi by the party to seek blessings from the congress’ Sonia Gandhi, the party came into action.

The UML party decided to send its political emissary again to Delhi to counter the congress moves. Jhal Nath Khanal was named as its man who would hold talks with its Indian counterpart under the leadership of Mr. Har Kishan Singh Surjeet and seek blessings in order to bag the coveted seat of the prime minister.

What transpired in between Bastola and Indian congress leaders and similarly how the Indian communists took Nepal’s UML views is yet a mystery. However, what has been made clear is that both the NC and the UML have apparently fallen flat for the prospects of their party’s getting elevated to the post of the prime minister has already become bleak. Should this mean that the new Indian establishment comprising of the congress and the communists told the Nepali friends that they could not be of any support to their cause at least at this juncture.

That the Indian establishment is interested more on holding straight dialogues with the King becomes amply clear from the fact that even if Nepal is government less but yet the Indian foreign minister is arriving Kathmandu this Friday.

It is not that India does not know of the current Nepal situation but then yet her desire to send its Foreign Minister to this country is both a matter of honor for Nepal and a signal to the five party alliance that for India her interests were supreme under any circumstances.

Now that Indian foreign minister is coming Kathmandu this Friday, let’s hope that Nepal has a government whose new foreign minister welcomes his Indian counterpart at the TIA. This does indicate that we will have a government by Thursday evening.

How Natwar Singh takes the Nepal situation upon his arrival in Nepal will have meaning.