Pushpa Kamal Dahal tells India not to ‘micromanage’ Nepal

KATHMANDU : UCPN (Maoist) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal on Sunday said India trying to ‘micromanage’ Nepal would be detrimental to the southern neighbour and that it will hamper its relationship with Nepal. Speaking at a programme organised to launch a book “Prayogshala: Nepali Sankramankalma Delhi, Darbar ra Maobadi”, authored by Kantipur daily Editor-in-Chief Sudheer Sharma, Dahal called on the Indian leadership to desist from instigating Nepali political parties. He rather emphasised on holding direct talks to address common concerns between both the countries, including economy, security and sovereignty, at the political level. Sharma’s book reveals the ‘secrets of India’s heavy influence’ on Nepal’s political activities. The book revolves around the Maoist insurgency, the deposed monarchy and India’s role in the peace agreement signed between the Maoists and the mainstream political parties. 

The book highlights three major players in Nepal’s recent political transition—New Delhi, the monarchy and the Maoists—and discusses their relationships in the context of the current political quagmire. Dahal said there are two perspectives through which to look at politics—political and conspiracy theories. “Those who look through the political theory see that the changes that took place in Nepal are the result of the efforts put in by the Nepali people, while those who look at it through the conspiracy theory perspective see foreign hand in the changes,” he said. Dahal admitted that his party made diplomatic agreements with national and international powers, as mentioned in Sharma’s book, but he claimed that all those accords were not against the interests of the Nepali people. 

He added that he would take responsibility for the facts mentioned in the book. Sharma said the book was written from a journalist’s perception, while he hoped to start a discourse on Nepali politics. “The book is written through a journalist’s point of view. I wrote the truth I witnessed, not the ultimate truth,” he said. Speaking at the programme, Nepali Congress (NC) leader Pradeep Giri said, “History shows that bigger countries have the policy and tendency to dominate smaller countries.” “Our leaders should show courage to oppose Indian influence as did Junga Bahadur Rana in the past.” Professor Dhurba Kumar hailed the book for its lucidity and rich information “which is often beyond the reach of researchers.” “As an investigative journalist, the writer has brought the hidden nitty-gritty to the readers” he said. High level officials, bureaucrats, politicians, academics and journalists attended the book-launch programme that was moderated by NC leader Gagan Thapa.