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Last week’s meeting between Nepal Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai and his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh at Tehran on sidelines of the 16th NAM Summit has run into controversy in Kathmandu.

This brief meeting between the two leaders has given fodder to some leaders from Bhattarai’s party, diplomats and sections of media to raise questions about New Delhi’s alleged mistreatment of the Nepal Prime Minister.

It was the fifth meeting between the two since Bhattarai’s official tour to India last year. Their last meeting on sidelines of the Rio+20 Summit in June had also made headlines as Bhattarai on his return from that trip made clear his unwillingness to step down from office.

On Tuesday, ‘Kantipur’, Nepal’s highest circulated daily, carried a front page report on how Bhattarai had ‘lost weight’ by taking part in a one-to-one interaction instead of the proposed bilateral talks.

Another report in ‘The Kathmandu Post’ mentioned how Deputy Prime Minister cum foreign minister Narayan Kaji Shrestha is unhappy with Bhattarai for being sidelined in Tehran.

Differences between the two senior Maoist leaders came out into the open following Shrestha’s opposition to Bhattarai’s insistence on signing the Bilateral Investment Protection and Promotion Act with India during his New Delhi visit last October.

The Manmohan-Bhattarai interaction in Tehran has widened the rift further. Reports say Shrestha complained to Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda about Bhattarai’s exclusive encounter with Singh.

The recent controversy has roots in a news report issued by Rashtriya Samachar Samiti, Nepal’s state-owned news agency, on August 31 giving details of the Manmohan-Bhattarai meeting.

The report mentioned that though the proposed bilateral talks didn’t take place, the two leaders discussed bilateral issues and the latest political situation in Nepal for nearly one hour.

Another report mentioned that the bilateral talks didn’t materialize as Singh was reluctant to meet Bhattarai. Still another stated that while Bhattarai was the only member from the Nepali side present at the interaction, Singh was accompanied by several senior Indian officials.

Confusion over what exactly happened and Shrestha’s unhappiness with Bhattarai led many in Kathmandu to surmise that New Delhi may have deliberately refused to go ahead with the bilateral talks and the Nepal PM reduced his stature by agreeing to a brief one-to-one.

However, the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu has clarified that instead of the one-hour long interaction as reported in Nepali media, the two leaders met for barely 5-7 minutes. It also made it clear that no officials from both sides were present during the one-to-one talks.

“The proposed bilateral talks couldn’t be held as host nation Iran requested Prime Minister Singh to chair a session of the NAM Summit on Thursday. Since it was not planned, several scheduled meetings including the one with the Nepal side had to be cancelled,” said an embassy official.

The two leaders, however, managed to discuss Nepal’s political scenario and electricity supply on Thursday evening after the session was over. During the short interaction held in a hotel lobby, Singh assured all possible support to Nepal including supply of additional 200 MW during winter.

Comments

1. Dirgha Raj Prasai says:

   September 5, 2012 at 1:06 am

   Respected Editor,
   Nepal is in danger position. When the traitors-Congress, UML, Maoist declared republic and secularism, China is coming with Communism for its security. If monarchy is not in Nepal, India also convert as a Communist country gradually. It was the great mistake of Indian diplomats and Nepalese power hunger agent of RAW and CIA. I think that you have read the news of Indian Army’s meeting. The secret of
   getting is ahead is getting started.’ A two-day secret meeting was held between
   Indian ambassador Jayanta Prasad, former and current Indian army generals at Lucknow
   headquarters, the infamous anti-Nepalese Indian Prof. S.D Muni, former
   ambassador K.B Rajan and leaders with keen interest on developments in Nepal
   but the former Ambassador of Nepal and former Secretary of Indian Govt. Shayam
   Saran-the most biased and anti monarchist, was not invited there. In the
   meeting Indian army generals blamed some Indian intellectuals for being
   responsible for widespread anti-Indian sentiment in Nepal. At the conference they said-
   ‘Nepalese people feel that Indian intervention has played a role in deposing
   the monarchy, and declaring Nepal
   a secular nation.’ They were concerned that it was against the interest of harmonious
   Nepal-India relationship. They suggested in moving ahead with serious concern. Expressing
   concern that the instability would pose a threat to Indian security the army
   generals suggested that the Nepalese Royal institution could also be
   reinstated.

   But the traitors can’t realize the truth because the Maost leaders Prachanda and Baburam Bhattarai have double standard who are cheating India also. It was the open secret conspiracy of Indian side. It is a matter of grief, as a first Christian prime
   minister in Nepal, the
   technocrat Babauram Bhattarai is destroying Nepal. In the year of 2006 in Delhi, Bhattarai initiated
   12 point agreement that made Maoist, UML and Congress leaders and so on. Since
   then unbearable games like republic and secularism were begun in Nepal.
   In fact Baburam Bhattarai is guilty of acting against the state. Bhattarai is
   become criminal of ending the existence of Nepal on the direction of Indian
   intelligence, European countries and Christians. Being a catholic Christian, he
   wants Christianization of Nepal through the conflicts of ethnicity based
   federalism. Actually, no one traitor, except Baburam Bhattarai was in post of
   prime minister of Nepal.

   On the direction of Indian intelligence, scattered
   Madhesis leaders who are followers of India
   were gathered and 4 point agreement was made to be Dr. Bhattarai as a PM of Nepal. As he
   became prime minister just a day after 4 point agreement he initiated to
   incorporate 10000 Madeshis in Nepalese army, supported anti-national slogan
   ‘One Madhesh singe province’ and displaced national dress of Nepal. He decided
   to demolish the statue of Father of nation King Tribhuvan insulting him. King
   Tribhuvan has made great contribution in revolution of 2007 BS. He denied
   accepting national unity day and the birth occasion of the founder of big Nepal the great
   King Prithbinarayan Shah. He tried to implement AD instead of BS. He protected
   murderers, kidnappers and corrupts and incorporated in his cabinet. Actually
   Bhattarai obstructing formulation of constitution by CA pulled the country in
   drain just as newly born baby thrown in boiling water by a doctor.

   We Nepalese people
   should be aware against such anti-nationalist activities. His own party men are
   repeatedly saying that he is agent of Indian intelligence-RAW. Due to him Maoist
   party was spitted. Further he made dissolution of CA because of desire to
   continue his post of premiership with creating confusion. If he does not
   resign, on the basis of aforementioned facts he and his party’s
   Chairman-Prachanda should be punished by state. State means permanent organs of
   the nation like court, national army and Nepalese people. The Nepalese people no longer want the
   unconstitutional rule of these traitors- Maoists, Congress, UML, Madhesi. After
   the dead of CA, the constitutional provisions of 1990 constitution have been
   restored with monarchy automatically. So, to rescue this holy land from an
   imminent dark future all patriotic forces Nepalese monarchy and people, Nepal
   Army, the court and the chief organs of the state– must unite to commit
   themselves to save the pious nation.

   Email:dirgharajprasai@gmail.com

   [Reply]