Top Stories»
PM poll stalemate
- Delhi dispatches a Special Envoy
KATHMANDU, AUG 04 -
With the political crisis deepening following three fruitless rounds of election for a prime minister, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday sent seasoned diplomat and former foreign secretary Shyam Sharan as his special envoy to help build a consensus government in Nepal.
Sharan, on the board of directors of world renowned IT major Wipro, arrived in Kathmandu on Wednesday afternoon with a message of “consensus politics” for the sake of peace and statute writing and will reach out to leaders of the major political parties during his three-day stay here.
“I am here as the special envoy of our prime minister to forge consensus for peace and the constitution,” Sharan said after getting off the plane at Tribhuvan International Airport.
He also said he would try to meet leaders of major political parties for political consensus. Later, he held a dinner meeting with leaders of the Samyukta Loktantrik Madhesi Morcha (SLMM).
Sharan will meet senior political leaders including Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal, UCPN (Maoist) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Nepali Congress Acting president Sushil Koirala and Chairman of CPN (UML) Jhala Nath Khanal, among others. “As an immediate neighbour, Nepal’s political stability and economic progress is our concern,” Sharan said.
Speculations are rife as to what would be New Delhi’s position. Two theories are floating around. One, Sharan will first try and consolidate the Madhesi front, which in the third round of the prime ministerial poll on Monday saw members in its ranks defy its position and instead support Maoist Chairman Dahal.
Two, should the Madhesi front ignore his call for unity, Sharan could then consider a Dahal-led government. Towards that end, he will first of all want commitment from the Maoist leadership on important issues, including a timeline on the integration and rehabilitation of the PLA combatants.
New Delhi’s efforts will be concentrated on building political consensus among the parties, said Nepali Congress leader Amresh Kumar Singh, who maintains close contact with Delhi.
“He (Sharan) is here for the formation of a consensus government and will try to hammer out an agreement among the parties,” said Singh. “India is likely to extend its support to whoever emerges the frontrunner as consensus candidate for Prime Minister.”
Posted on: 2010-08-05 08:55
Headlines
Advertisements
