If and when a former Prime Minister senses a plot against national sovereignty and integrity, his foremost responsibility is to alert the state apparatus. But Maoist leader Pushpa Kamal Dahal has revealed information about just such a sinister plot through some of his trusted journalists instead of bringing it up in the National Security Council.
Dahal told a group of UCPN(M)-affiliated journalists this week at his Lajimpat residence that India is trying to cause Nepal to disintegrate by all possible means. He said India is using Madhesi leaders Upendra Yadav and Mahant Thakur to secede eight Tarai districts from Nepal, adding that CK Raut and Jay Krishna Goit are a part of this game-plan.
Political leaders have lost much of their credibility of late, and their revelations, however shocking, hardly stun the people any more. Even so, what Dahal has chosen to reveal cannot be ignored. He has pointed fingers at leaders like Yadav and Thakur who have served the country in various capacities, and taken oaths to defend national sovereignty.
Dahal also said that Indian Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar reminded them during his controversial visit to Kathmandu in September that the monarchy was overthrown at the behest of New Delhi. This more or less confirms what most Nepalis believe anyway. Indeed, Nepalis were not consulted about the abolition of the monarchy, and signatories of an India-brokered 12-point deal inserted New Delhi’s agenda into the agreement. This is why Nepal has remained unstable even after the end of peace process and promulgation of the new constitution.
Dahal has been a key player in the post-2006 developments. He needs to inform the people through Parliament about details of deals between his party, the government and India. Prime Minister KP Oli also needs to look into Dahal’s revelations and tell the truth to the people through Parliament.
Read also:
Dahal’s doublespeak, From the Nepali Press
Tea and biscuits, Anurag Acharya