Visit To The South
Prachanda goes to New Delhi to attend the Leadership Summit
By A CORRESPONDENT
Maoist chairman Prachanda left for New Delhi on November 17 to attend the Leadership Summit organized by The Hindustan Times.
On November 18, he addressed on the topic of “Democracy: Forbidden Fruit or Nectar for Progress.” Addressing the summit, Prachanda said he is in favor of democracy for the masses. "Democracy has been a forbidden fruit for a majority. It has been nectar for people in power. The challenge of our time is to transform democracy into nectar for the oppressed. Masses are the ultimate creator of history, so democracy should take care of the people."
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Prachanda : Passage to India
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He stated, “Democracy has been reduced to an exportable commodity. The political battle in the 21st century will be fought over democracy and whoever practices the "right" democracy will rule the world.” Prachanda also stated that the parliamentary democracy has been reduced to a "farce in South Asia " as the basic tenets like liberty and equality have been ignored.
Following the speech, Prachanda also addressed a press conference in the Indian capital where he vehemently denied any working relations between Nepali Maoists and Indian Naxalites. Terming the “red corridor between Pashupti to Tirupati” as myth created by “religious fundamentalists,” Prachanda said that his party only had “some ideological relations” with the Indian Naxalites.
He, however, refused to comment about the continuation of armed uprising by the Indian Naxalites. “We have decided to go for multiparty competition whereas they have not decided so,” he said, adding that he would not want to “hurt our ideological comrades” by commenting on their modus operandi.
At the press conference, Prachanda said a republican front was necessary in Nepal to defeat “remnants of feudal monarchy.” He added that if the King agrees with the verdict of the people, then he will be allowed to live a life of common citizen. Stating that right to rebel is one of the basic human rights of the people, Prachanda said there would not be any necessity of raising arms when there is economic and political equality in real sense.
On the issue of Indo-Nepal relations, Prachanda said he wants to develop relations with India on new basis. “Certainly, there is some psychological feeling of insecurity among the people of Nepal and they also look at 1950 Treaty from that perspective,” he said, adding, “However, since India ’s positive role during the signing of the 12-point agreement last year in New Delhi , Nepali people’s psychology is also changing.
Furthermore, the decision of New Delhi to abandon its two-pillar theory of supporting constitutional monarchy and multiparty democracy has also helped in changing Nepali people’s attitude towards India . I think a new relation can be developed on the basis of this change.”
In a separate interview with The Hindustan Times, on November 18, Prachanda, disclosed “for the first time ever” that “when he decided to take the 'movement to the streets', back in 1996, he was offered "assistance" in the form of arms and money from representatives claiming to be from the ISI.”
"We must accept that the anti-India activity from Nepal (including acts like the hijack of IC814) was centered in the royal durbar," Prachanda said in the interview. He also claimed that with the growth in his party’s movement, the activities of ISI in Nepal have declined. "With our movement gaining people's consensus, the anti-India ISI activity controlled by the Durbar is almost non-existent," Prachanda claimed.
The daily stated that this was the first time Prachanda, 52, had visited India openly – “a sign of his movement's growing popular acceptance, to which India is resigned.” "When we initiated the armed movement against the corrupt rule in Nepal (in 1996)," Prachanda said, "ISI-type people offered us money and arms assistance. I resisted and our council agreed to refuse the assistance because we felt our movement would lose its Nepali-people-centric approach," Prachanda said.
