The handover of Amit Kumar by Nepal within 48 hours of his arrest indicates that the ‘kidney king’ has become a pawn in Indo-Nepal politics.
PM Koirala may have fast-tracked extradition of Amit Kumar to make amends for his recent India-bashing
KATHMANDU: The handover of Amit Kumar by Nepal within 48 hours of his arrest indicates that the ‘kidney king’ has become a pawn in Indo-Nepal politics.
The police had said Kumar would be first charged with violating Nepal’s foreign exchange regulation Act since he was caught with over 10mn Nepali rupees, in far excess of the $2,000 a visitor can carry undeclared, but he was handed over to the CBI on Saturday on prime minister Girija Prasad Koirala’s orders to the home ministry, bypassing the foreign ministry headed by a different party.
The handover is Koirala’s bid to get back into the good books of his powerful southern neighbour, India, after he blotted his copybook badly last month with anti-India statements. The octogenarian, accused of being more authoritarian than king Gyanendra, told a TV station that when his Nepali Congress ran a pro-democracy movement in the 70s from hideouts in India and Nepal, he was advised by then Indian spy chief RN Kao to hijack a helicopter from Nepal to India. Koirala also said he had counterfeited Indian currency while hiding in India to fund the revolutionary movement.
Though the TV station developed cold feet and aired the interview only after editing references to RAW, its sister publication, the Nepal Weekly, published the unexpurgated version, creating a furore.
The stink caused the prime minister’s office to discontinue the kamikaze reminiscences, both on the TV channel and in the magazine. Immediately after, an “indisposed” Koirala disappeared from public eye. However, sources close to the premier point out that illness has been his favourite resort when he wants to avoid confrontations.
Koirala, who desires to see his daughter Sujata, currently a minister without portfolio, firmly ensconced in politics, realises that he needs New Delhi’s goodwill to survive.
Ahead of him lies the rocky April 10 election. Already postponed twice, if he fails to hold the polls a third time, the consequences will be disastrous, especially if India withdraws support.
Hence, Amit Kumar’s deportation is a small price to pay for such a huge gain.
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