Kathmandu: Amid their determined bid to
dislodge the CPN-UML led Nepalese government, Maoist chief
Prachanda left for China on Sunday along with top party leaders
for high level political consultations.
Prachanda left for Beijing on a weeklong visit along
with hardliner leader Mohan Vaidya, the party's foreign bureau
chief Krishna Bahadur Mahara and his son Prakash Dahal at the
invitation of the Communist Party of China.
Political observers have termed as significant
Prachanda's visit to China which is taking place at a time
when Nepal's political deadlock has reached its climax.
Nepal's Parliament has been deadlocked for the last
three months due to the Maoists' blockade that has not only
obstructed the Constitution making process but also plunged
the government in serious trouble as the budget of the current
fiscal year could not be approved yet due to the blockade.
Prachanda is scheduled to meet Chinese President Hu
Jintao, who is also the general secretary of the ruling
Communist party and other senior leaders for high level
political consultations.
Interestingly, NC leader and former Prime Minister
Sher Bahadur Deuba will be visiting India on a personal trip.
Though Deuba's visit from today is said to be for medical
check up, he will also have high level political
consultations with the Indian leaders and is likely to meet
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA President Sonia Gandhi.
Prachanda's visit to China is aimed at seeking China's
advice for future course of action of the Nepal's largest
Communist Party which is inspired by the ideology of great
Chinese leader Mao Zedong, said Pralhad Rijal, editor of
Rashtriya Janamanch Weekly.
Prachanda's selection of the team to visit China that
includes his political think-tank Vaidya and his possible
successor Mahara and son Prakash in itself is significant, he
pointed out.
The UCPN-Maoist which commands 238 seats in the 601
member Constituent Assembly still believes in the ideology of
Communist Republic or People's Republic and wants to write the
constitution reflecting their Communist ideology.
Senior journalist and China watcher Dhruva Hari
Adhikary says Prachanda should not have visited China at a
time when political parties are seriously involved in ending
the deadlock in the Parliament.
Prachanda being the responsible leader of the largest
party in the CA, should have given top priority to resolving
the current political crisis in the country rather than
visiting China, he said.
Maoist chief Prachanda was planning to visit China few
months back. But the visit was postponed indefinitely after he
quit power over the issue of Army Chief in May.
A day before Prachanda's visit to China Mahara told
reporters that the Maoists want equal distance between India
and China. He also claimed that strong government led by
CPN-Maoist can only give protection to the security interests
of both the neighbouring countries.
India and China both wants Nepal to be a secured place
for themselves, Mahara said.
Meanwhile, former Prime Minister Surya Bahadur Thapa,
also the president of Rashtriya Janashakti Party, who just
returned from India, told journalists at the Tribhuvan
International Airport yesterday that "it is meaningless to
think about forming a Maoist led government in this
situation."
Thapa's remarks came at a time when the Maoists are
launching agitation and blocking the Parliament with the aim
to capturing power.
India wants to see political stability in Nepal and
India is not in favour of change of guard at this moment, said
Thapa who met Prime Minister Singh, opposition leader LK
Advani and other senior leaders in Delhi.
Bureau Report