India should help us resolve constitution stalemate: Ex-Nepal PM

Former Nepal prime minister and key Maoist ideologue Baburam Bhattarai Monday sought India’s help in resolving his country’s current political stalemate over drafting of the new constitution, but made it clear that any “direct intervention” was not welcome.

“Though India should not be directly involved, but the reality is that in today’s globalised world what happens in the neighbourhood cannot be just wished away… To complete the peace process India has a role to play in Nepal not in terms of direct political interference, but to create a conducive atmosphere so that the political parties in Nepal come together and make the Constitution agreeable to all. That would contribute towards India’s national interest as well,” he said during a discussion organised by Society for Policy Studies.

The visiting leader met BJP leader Ram Madhav, Congress’s Digvijaya Singh and Salman Khurshid, besides Left leaders Sitaram Yechury and Prakash Karat.

Accusing Nepali Congress and Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) of “breaching” their promises, the former PM said the current deadlock was a product of a “contradiction” between the authority of the revolution and the mandate of the election.

Reacting to Bhattarai’s comments, former foreign secretary Shyam Saran, who was moderating the discussion, said: “India would continue to confront the dilemma of supporting Nepal while maintaining a certain distance.”

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http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/india-should-help-us-resolve-constitution-stalemate-ex-nepal-pm/