Former Indian PM sings praises of Dahal, says he 'averted disaster by
integrating Terai'
Former Prime Minister of India Inder Kumar Gujral has said CPN (Maoist)
chairman and Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has saved Nepal from a
possible disaster by successfully integrating Terai into the "national
mainstream".
He also said that the Indian leaders and government officials should not
smell rat in Nepal's Maoist Prime Minister visiting China in his maiden
visit after taking office instead of India, as is generally the tradition.
Talking to Kantipur Daily at his house in Janapath-5 in New Delhi, Gujral
said that Nepal was actually two countries with Terai "totally cut off
from the center as if it were a separate country."
He said the King utterly failed in "turning Terai into Nepal" and so did
Nepali Congress.
"However, the Maoists, and in that too Prachanda was successful in
integrating Tarai into Nepal," he said, and congratulated PM Dahal on his
election to the top government post.
Gujaral was also of high opinion and praise for the "extraordinary
revolution" that took place in Nepal under the leadership of the CPN
(Maoist), saying that the revolution which was waged on the basis of
country's own experiences and hence should be called a people's
revolution, astonished the whole world.
Often called a "discreet advisor" to the Indian government on foreign
policy matters especially concerning the neighboring countries, the former
Indian PM said that Nepali congress and CPN (UML) had also made remarkable
contribution in the people's revolution, but the two parties looked "immature" on few important occasions.
Gujral didn't even spare former Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala,
criticising him that although he appeared to have led the movement from
the front he was "weak when it came to giving ideological leadership".
The propounder of Gujral Doctrine which stresses on India extending
support and assistance to Nepal including its other neighbours without any
kind of interests or hidden agenda, Gujral said PM Dahal is faced with
two challenges.
"First he needs to institutionalise the republican set up and secondly,
work on Nepal's development," he told the paper.
Citing the example of Bhutan which has become "rich" by exploiting its
waters resources to the optimum, he said, "Nepal should also invest in
hydro electricity and also utilise Indian investment in this sector."
Referring to PM Dahal simply as Prachanda, he said that the new prime
minister of republic Nepal has found "good Indian friends" to discuss
Nepal's economic development, adding that the country's development would
depend on how best he (PM Dahal) uses his Indian counterpart's economic
knowledge. nepalnews.com ag Aug 20 08
