Red Nepal may douse India’s fire

NEW DELHI: Security analysts in the government view the sweeping victory of the Nepal Maoists as a great opportunity to persuade their armed Indian counterparts to give up violence.

This dynamic possibility offered by the victory of Prachanda and his men in the Nepal constituent assembly should be immediately exploited without any delay, these analysts warn. They fear that the orthodox elements within New Delhi establishment may not agree to such a move and scuttle the opportunity.

This argument comes even as the security forces continue to maintain a high alert along the Indo-Nepal border, fearing heightened activity by the Indian Maoists and some factions of Nepal Maoists.

Says a senior security official, “India will have to make some adjustments in the way we deal with Nepal. But it strengthens our efforts at bringing our own Naxals into the mainstream.” He adds it needs “patient, sustained and deliberate efforts which are missing today.”

Over the past few years, the central and state governments have actually been treating the Naxal menace at par with terrorism. “That may not be the way forward if we are to secure our hinterlands,” says another analyst who has been watching Nepal closely.

An official dealing with the Nepal Maoists through the backdoor says their entry into the mainstream of Nepal politics has been a “painful and arduous journey which is not yet finished, but that is how you handle insurgent groups.” Nepal Maoist leader Prachanda  also said in a TV interview that their victory would persuade the Indian Maoists to “also come into the mainstream”.
j_josy@dnaindia.net