By Yubaraj Ghimire
Kathmandu: As the New Delhi-mediated peace process faces its stiffest challenge and Maoists move towards one-party rule, leaders of various non-Maoist political parties, including those in the ruling coalition, are in the process of heading southward.
The visits by Nepali leaders coincides with the three-week-long “social-religious” visit to India — to Delhi, Bhopal, Gujarat and back to Delhi next week—- of dethroned King Gyanendra that began end of February. Most leaders have used “health check-up” as the pretext for their Delhi visit while others are “silent”.
Party and family sources said that while the deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Bamdev Gautam left on Monday, K P Oli, another prominent leader, is likely to join them. Both belong to the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML) , a major partner coalition in the Maoist-headed coalition.
While Oli had a kidney transplant few years ago, Gautam suffered from facial paralysis about a month ago.
G P Koirala, president of the Nepali Congress, and Surya Bahadur Thapa, chairman of the Rastriya Janashakti Party, will be in Delhi on Wednesday. According to information available, former King Gyanendra is expected to arrive in Delhi a couple of days after Holi.
Whether he’s accorded a reception as a former head of the state or ignored will be, politically, an important indicator for Nepal.
As monarchy was scrapped and Maoists took control of the Government, they undermined partners in the coalition as well as the peace process. And much to India’s concern, Nepal seems moving towards signing series of treaties with the north: first, a treaty of peace and friendship which may be followed by visa-waiver policy with China. Top Maoist leaders Prachanda and Baburam Bhattarai have called the former king’s visit to India as an attempt to have the monarchy restored with the help of an “expansionist India.”
Published in Indian Express, March 10, 2009
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