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Delhi paved the path for Maoists in Nepal

The best-kept secret of the stunning developments in Nepal is the quiet role India played in facilitating the return of the Maoists to mainstream politics.

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NEW DELHI: The best-kept secret of the stunning developments in Nepal is the quiet role India played in facilitating the return of the Maoists to mainstream politics.

Away from the arc lights, key Indian diplomats and security experts cajoled, counselled and pressured the Maoists and the established parties to sit across the table and
negotiate a roadmap for democracy.

Not many know it, but the six-point comprehensive peace accord that paved the way for these elections was hammered out in New Delhi under a veil of secrecy. For months together, Indian interlocutors met with representatives of the Seven-Party Alliance led by the Nepal Congress and the Maoist Party to help them resolve their differences. The effort paid off and the accord was finalised at midnight on November 7, 2006.

The Indian hand is a sensitive issue and so government sources are reluctant to reveal the names of the key negotiators. But a well-placed source who did not wish to be identified said the Maoists readily acknowledge in private conversations that they owe India a great debt.

The process was not an easy one, however. The establishment here was deeply divided between the pro-democracy elements and the strong pro-monarchy lobbies made up of erstwhile royal families of India and the Indian army. In fact, even as secret negotiations were on to pull the Maoists into the election process, the government, under pressure from the pro-monarchists here, decided to resume arms supplies to the Nepalese army to crush the left-wing movement.

The move would have overturned the entire effort to pull Nepal back from a never-ending spiral of violence and anarchy and restore democracy.

In retrospect, the pro-democracy lobbyists in the government were spot on in their assessment of the popular mood in Nepal. The results are a resounding rejection of the king and the monarchy. “What the people are saying is they want a change,’’ said India’s former ambassador to Kathmandu, Deb Mukherjee. “They don’t necessarily want a Maoist government, but they wanted to express their displeasure with the mainstream parties.’’  

The verdict has presented India both with an opportunity and a challenge.  
“We have established a very good network with the Maoist leadership,’’ said a senior source closely involved with the pro-democracy efforts.  

“It gives us an overwhelming advantage at the moment. We have to build on this advantage so that the leverage remains in our hands.’’

Mukherjee suggested that India will have to discard its old attitudes and mindset in dealing with Nepal. “Our elitist connections in that country have been the bane of our bilateral relationship. We also have an old association with the Nepal Congress. But this is 2008. There is a new awakening in Nepal. We will have to look at it differently,’’ he said.

The biggest challenge before the new government in Kathmandu is the integration of the Maoist cadres into the Nepalese army, traditionally a royalist institution. This, feel experts, is India’s biggest challenge as well. New Delhi can play a key role in making it a smooth process.

“We should use what influence we have to counsel restraint on both sides,’’ said the senior source. “Both should be advised not to force the pace otherwise there could be an adverse reaction.’’

The other challenge is to encourage the Maoists to accept multi-party democracy. Although their main leadership has endorsed the concept, there could be a temptation to move towards a monolithic dispensation that would negate the time and effort expended in nudging Nepal towards democracy.

“India will have to keep fully engaged and continue to play a discreet role,’’ the source said, adding that the demand to revise the Indo-Nepal Treaty would not pose a major problem. In fact, Mukherjee recalled that India had offered to revise the treaty eight years ago. “We should have an open mind on this,’’ he counselled.

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