Give us aid, get edge over China, Nepal tells India

Against the backdrop of the out-of-power Maoists playing the anti-India card to the hilt, Nepal foreign minister Sujata Koirala arrived here on Monday to set the tone for his prime minister Madhav Nepal’s first official visit to India next week.

Sujata Koirala’s message to India was simple: Flood Nepal with developmental assistance and business projects to generate employment and give India an edge over major rival China.

Ever since Maoist leader Prachanda quit as PM, the Maoists have been virulently critical of New Delhi, blaming it for Prachanda’s ouster. Prachanda claimed India and the US wanted to launch anti-China activities, even a possible attack on China, using Nepali territory. “I had to quit as my party was opposed to letting our territory to be used against China”, Prachanda said. New Delhi dismissed the allegations as “rubbish.”

India had always been suspicious of the Maoists and kept chanting the old theme of constitutional monarchy and multi-party democracy as the key to stability in Nepal. It made a last-minute switch against the palace when it found public sentiment wholly with the Maoists.

Even China had backed the palace during the anti-monarchy struggle. But it made quick inroads into the Maoist camp . When Prachanda became PM, his first visit was to China. But he made light of it by telling India he was there to watch the Olympic games and not on a bilateral visit. Unlike Prachanda, Madhav Nepal will make his first foreign visit to New Delhi, sending a signal that his government continues to give it more importance. Koirala will hope to get some major agreements finalised ahead of Nepal’s arrival.