Re: Nepal-Will India interfere militarily?
India backs King Gyanendra’s move, risks SPA ire
Indrani Bagchi
NEW DELHI: As Gyanendra announced resumption of democracy, India cautiously welcomed his moves to transfer power, betraying at the same time, anxiety on whether the gambit will pay off.
In a late night reaction to Gyanendra’s statement, an MEA spokesperson said, “India welcomes his intention to transfer all executive power of the state to a government constituted by the alliance of the seven political parties…” By specifying the scope of the transfer, India indicated that it would not accept any subsequent backtracking by the king.
Throwing its weight behind the king, India said his action “should now pave the way for the restoration of political stability and economic recovery of the country.” This is a clear invitation to the political parties to take up the king’s offer.
It’s another matter that the parties seem to have rejected the offer. If they don’t relent, India runs the risk of being seen to be backing an unpopular monarch against a hugely popular uprising. Obviously, while New Delhi isn’t exactly enamoured by Gyanendra, it is very wary of the Maoists.
To keep the Nepali non-Maoist opposition on its side, India gave full credit to the parties for the current popular agitation, implicitly rejecting Maoists’ claim that the popular protests had been inspired by them. The general assessment of the Maoist insurgency being unpopular remains.
The offer is not perfect — as Nepali parties see it, there is no mention of a constituent assembly, or who will control the army. But Indian sources say these can be worked out when a political system is up and running.