Kathmandu, August 24
Although the one-on-one talks between Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, scheduled for Thursday, was seen as the most crucial event in the Delhi itinerary of the Nepali PM, it was anything but.
The two Prime Minister did not hold one-on-one talks on Thursday after Nepal’s Foreign Minister Krishna Bahadur Mahara, considered close to the Chinese establishment by New Delhi, insisted that the external affairs ministers of both countries be present during the talks.
According to sources, a meeting did take place at around 11:45 at Hyderabad House, but Foreign Minister Mahara, Nepali Ambassador Deep Kumar Upadhyay, Indian EAM Sushma Swaraj and Ambassador Manjeev Singh Puri were present during the talks.
Sources say that after Modi found out that Mahara insists on his presence during the one-to-one talks, the Indian Prime Minister organised a ‘surprise warm-up’ meeting with Deuba within a few hours after his arrival in the Indian capital, well aware that this was the ‘real’ meeting and there was nothing to ‘warm-up’ to. Only Deuba and Modi were present during the meeting on Wednesday.
The Indian establishment believes that Maoist leader Mahara, who allegedly sought Rs 5 million from the Chinese to topple the government in 2010, is close to China. Mahara was sent to China as Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal’s special emissary just a few days after he took oath of office. Mahara has put-in a lot of effort to mend fences with New Delhi, but he has only had limited success.
As only Modi and Deuba were present during the meeting on Wednesday, delegation members from both India and Nepal are unaware of what Deuba and Modi talked about during the informal session.
