Nepal Maoists PM begins India Tour

by Sanjay Jha | September 15, 2008 at 01:06 am

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Maoists rebel turned New Nepalese Prime Minister Prachanda has begun his first official visit to India. After being elected Prime Minister this is second visit foreign visit. India and Nepal enjoys a familial but often prickly relationship. The two countries have very close cultural, religious and historical links and still have kept their long border open.

Many Indians around border areas have family extended across the border. India's official language, Hindi, is widely used in Terai region of southern Nepal. India and Nepal hav special pacts on several issues but new communist government after coming to power have taken tough anti-Indian stand demanding scrapping of unequal treaties. Now Prime Minister Prachanda is visiting to to hold talks with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the opening day of his four-day visit.

Nepal's Maoists have used tough anti-Indian rhetoric, calling for treaties they see as unequal to be abolished.

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal held separate consultations with Indian Minister for Foreign Affairs Pranab Mukherjee and opposition leader Lal Krishna Adwani at Hotel Taj in New-Delhi on Monday.
Emerging form the meeting today, Minister Mukherjee said that India is always ready for the stability and success of Nepal.

He also congratulated Prime Minister Dahal for being the first prime minister of the Democratic Republic of Nepal and said that the Indian government will always support in the peace process.

According to the reports, the meeting mainly dwelt on the dual support, review of the treaties among others.

Meanwhile, Lal Krishna Adwani said that the meeting was positive.

Earlier today, Prime Minister Dahal reached Rajghat to offer a garland at Gandhi cemetery.

Likewise, PM Dahal called on Indian President Pratibha Singh Patil at Rastrapati Bhawan and formally welcomed him.

PM Dahal is also schedule to hold special talks with Indian National Congress Party Chairman Sonia Gandhi at around 4.30 today.

Also today at around 6.30, PM Dahal is scheduled to meet his counterpart Manmohan Singh at the latter’s office at Hyderabad House in New-Delhi.

It has been understood that the meeting will be discussing on the agendas prepared by both the countries including the 1950 friendly treaty between Nepal-India and 1954 Koshi treaty.