Kathmandu, May 6
India’s yet another bid to micro-manage Nepal has drawn China into Nepal’s political arena. For the first time in the contemporary political history of the India-locked country, its northern neighbour has been able to thwart an overbearing India’s bid to topple a government that it considered inimical to its vested interests.
The events leading to the checkmate have just emerged. Here they go.
On Wednesday morning, UCPN-Maoist General Secretary Krishna Bahadur Mahara was telling party leaders he will not let Prachanda fall prey to Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli’s designs. He was saying that the initiative to topple the Oli government and form a new one will go ahead, no matter what. But Mahara himself had a change of heart when he met Chinese diplomats, sources say.
Mahara, upon his return from a visit to India last week, was campaigning hard to topple the Oli-led ruling coalition, because, in his own words, the government was trying to send him to jail. Mahara was probably fearful after receiving warning from the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority over his shady acts like embezzling funds meant for former Maoist people’s liberation army combatants.
But Mahara, out to topple the Oli government and form a Maoist-led dispensation in its place, changed his stance after Chinese officials took him to task. With Mahara softening, it became very easy for Prachanda to take a decision against toppling the Oli government.
A source says the northern neighbour has expressed fierce dissatisfaction with the UCPN-Maoist for trying to become a part of what it calls an ‘Indian design to topple the Oli government and render ineffective recent agreements and understanding between Nepal and China.
China fears that a new government formed under Prachanda or Deuba will intensify engagements with India and consign recent Nepal-China agreements into the dustbin, sources say. Keeping this scenario in view, the northern neighbour is pressing Prachanda to keep leftist forces united, according to the sources.
A source says the Chinese Ambassador in Nepal was instrumental in averting the collapse of the Oli government.
“China saw India intensify efforts to topple the Oli government, so it also entered the scene and convinced the UCPN-Maoist to take a step against toppling the government, throwing cold water on India’s design,” goes the source.
