Though Singh, who is also the chancellor of Banaras Hindu University (BHU), arrived here to extend an invitation to President Dr Ram Baran Yadav, political analysts here say Singh clearly has a “political mission”. [break]President Yadav is due to visit India on December 25 to receive the honorary Doctorate of Letters degree to be conferred by BHU.
Except for a 150th anniversary function of Madan Mohan Malviya, where he attended as a guest speaker on Friday, Singh will spend most of his time in political parleys during his two-day stay in Kathmandu.
On Friday evening, Singh attended a dinner hosted by his close relative and Chairman of Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) Pashupati SJB Rana at the latter´s residence in Maharajgunj. UCPN (Maoist) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal, NC President Sushil Koirala, senior NC leader Sher Bahadur Deuba, CPN-UML Chairman Jhalanath Khanal, Rastriya Janashakti Party Chairman Surya Bahadur Thapa, Lokendra Bahadur Chand, Rajeshwor Devkota and Bishwo Bandhu Thapa were among those attending the dinner party.
Political sources said Singh is due to hold separate meetings with President Dr Yadav, Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai, UCPN (Maoist) Chairman Dahal, NC President Koirala, UML Chairman Khanal and RJP Chairman Thapa on Saturday. “The meetings are very much likely to dwell on current political situation,” said a source.
Sources confirmed that Singh will also meet former monarch Gyanendra Shah. He will fly back to New Delhi on Sunday.
The visit of Singh, who is also the chief of Foreign Relations Department of the Indian National Congress and close confidant of party chairperson Sonia Gandhi, is being viewed with much interest in Nepal. “The visit of Singh cannot be just dismissed as a personal visit. This clearly has a political mission,” said Dhruva Hari Adhikari, a political analyst.
Singh had last visited Nepal in April, 2006 apparently to help the now-deposed king Gyanendra and agitating political parties reach a deal.
Adhikari argued that since India is very much worried about political instability in Nepal and what many analysts in India describe as “growing assertiveness of China in Nepal”, the latest visit of Singh could be an indication that India is mulling to revise its policy toward Nepal.
“Since India acknowledges that political instability in Nepal will seriously affect it, the visit could be taken as India´s fact-finding mission to revise its policy on Nepal as a republic,” he further said.
Analysts believe that India is worried about instability in Nepal with the political parties, who joined forces against then King Gyanendra, failing to reconcile differences and come up with a new constitution.
Political sources said though the date is yet to be confirmed, New Delhi is sending former foreign secretary Shyam Sharan, who was also India´s ambassador to Nepal, to Kathmandu soon to assess the political situation here.
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