MIN RATNA BAJRACHARYA

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal leaves for India on Sunday on his first "political visit" that is expected to be long on symbolism and short on substance.

Dahal's will be staying at the plush Taj Mahal Hotel in central Delhi. On 15 September he will meet President Pratibha Patil, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Sonia Gandhi, Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee and other top officials. He will also meet the leader of the opposition, L K Advani of the BJP, a vocal critic of Nepal's Maoists.

Then it will be off to India's Silicon Plateau on Wednesday for the 40-member delegation where the prime minister will see first hand what is driving India's growth by visiting the headquarters of the global IT company, Infosys, in Bangalore.

It will be a goodwill visit and it is doubtful if Dahal will return on Thursday with anything tangible. There has been little political preparation for the visit and the Maoist advisory committee seems torn between radical nationalists and pragmatists. On Thursday, an all party meeting was still trying to figure out what to say to the Indians.

Publicly, the Maoists have called for an overhaul of the 1950 treaty, but haven't specified if they want to abrogate or revise it. Delhi has agreed to amend it, but wants specific suggestions or a new draft. So, expect a reiteration by both sides to re-examine the treaty in principle.

Foreign Minister Upendra Yadav admitted last week that Nepal hadn't yet figured out what it wanted from the Delhi visit. Sources said India wanted to delay the visit, but Dahal was insistent.

Kosi will be high on the agenda and both Patna and Delhi want the high dam, for which an ongoing detailed site study has been disrupted by local Maoists.

Given India's active role in backing the peace process, there will be discussions on the future roadmap. Security reform, especially the integration of the PLA into the Nepal Army, may figure in private discussions.

Nepal will convey its concerns regarding the rising trade deficit with India, customs and transit issues and fuel supply. As they did during Girija Koirala's visit in June 2006, India may announce a new economic package.

The Maoists will use the visit to reach out to sections of the Delhi establishment, especially the business community, that are still distrustful of their intentions. Given the continuing threats by Maoist-supported unions to Indian multinationals in Nepal, Dahal may face some blunt questions.

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