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"principal enemy," Maoist Vice-chairman Dr Baburam Bhattarai has reached Delhi on a three-day visit.
His visit also comes at a time when Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal´s intended visit to India to "improve ties" with the southern neighbor has been put on the back burner by the Indian establishment.[break]
Upon arrival in Delhi Wednesday, Bhattarai held talks with Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao and National Security Advisor Shiv Shankar Menon on the peace process in Nepal and the future of Constituent Assembly.
Speaking to Republica after his meetings, Dr Bhattarai said, "India is concerned and worried over the delay in the prime-ministerial election process," adding, "Mr Mukherjee has urged to move ahead with consensus."
He also informed that although Mukherjee labeled the PM election process "internal affairs" of Nepal, he said India is "overly worried" about the instability facing the country.
"I have told him (Mukherjee) that we are trying to resolve the internal process. The talks took place in a positive light," Bhattarai added.
Muhkerjee is a senior politician and former external affairs minister who has been looking at Nepal closely over a long time.
Similarly, Bhattarai informed that talks with the foreign secretary and the national security advisor revolved around peace and stability issues in Nepal.
Asked how India is viewing the deteriorating relations with his party, Bhattarai said, "It is not good that the relations were spoilt between our party and India but I have conveyed that we want good relations with India."
Bhattarai said he has come to Delhi "in consultation" with the party and that there "was a need to visit New Delhi."
Although Bhattarai said that Chairman Dahal´s visit to Delhi will come "at an appropriate time," Ministry of External Affairs sources told Republica that
they have received "no formal request" from the party regarding Dahal´s visit.
Bhattarai will be meeting opposition BJP leader Sushma Swaraj on Thursday, followed by a meeting with Home Minister P.Chidambaram on
January 7.
Bhattarai will also be addressing a conference titled "Recent Developments in Nepal -- The Way Forward" (Jan 6-7), organized by the Vivekananda International Foundation in Delhi. Along with him, senior politicians K P Sharma Oli and Pradip Giri will be speaking on political reconciliation. Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Sujata Koirala and her Indian counterpart S M Krishna will deliver the inaugural speeches Thursday.
Speakers will include economist Bishwamber Pyakurel and Sujeev Shakya, Anil Jha, Prashant Jha and Agni Kharel, among others.
Dahal snubs Delhi conference
Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal has opted not to visit India as his meeting with top Indian leaders was not confirmed.
According to Maoist standing committee member Barshaman Pun, Vivekananda Foundation, the organizer of the Nepal Seminar, has invited Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Vice Chairman Dr Bhattarai and Pun to participate in the conference.
"The visit was put off as it would not be appropriate to visit India without clearly understanding Delhi´s strategy," said a standing committee member close to Dahal.
Leaders close to Dahal claimed that Dahal put off his India visit as India also set a precondition to Maoists to ´disarm´ before forming a new government under his leadership. The leaders said Dahal is not prepared to head the government at the cost of disarming the party.
Dahal instead is in favor of forming the government under the leadership of UML Chairman Jhalanath Khanal or any other candidate.
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