Prachanda fears coup in Nepal

The Maoists fear that a Bangladesh-style army-backed coup may derail the ongoing peace process in Nepal. Maoist chief Prachanda said on Friday that as Nepal heads towards the Constituent Assembly election, several forces were out to derail the country's political transformation.

"There is enough indication that a lot of forces in Nepal are now desperate to stage a coup backed by the army," the Maoist chief said, adding that the forceful political takeover could be similar to the one in Bangladesh.

Prachanda said assassination of Benazir Bhutto in Pakistan has now raised questions of security of the pro-democracy political leaders in Nepal as well. "There are strong possibilities of assassination attempts in Nepal," he said.

The Maoist chief claimed the bomb blast on January 14 in downtown Kathmandu after the meeting of the Seven Party Alliance (SPA) was aimed at his vehicle. Eight people were injured in the explosion.

"My vehicle was only 70 metres away at the time of the blast," Prachanda said, indicating that the pro-monarchist forces could be behind the explosion and coup challenge.

Maoists angry with Rajnath

Maoist Chairman Prachanda has taken exception to the Bharatiya Janata Party’s opposition to any move possible step by Nepal’s interim parliament to abolish the monarchy. Nepal’s Maoist chief Prachanda on Monday reiterated that the Himalayan nation should be declared a “republic” and termed BJP’s statement as “a conspiracy to protect monarchy”.

BJP president Rajnath Singh had recently said the Maoist demand that the interim parliament abolish the monarchy was “technically wrong”. The BJP chief also held the Maoists responsible for the delay in the crucial Constituent Assembly election.

The BJP and the Sangh parivar have had close ties with the royal family of Nepal. The Vishwa Hindu Parishad had also celebrated the controversial King Gyanendra of Nepal as the Hindu Mahadhiraj (Emperor).

Prachanda blamed Indian politicians for repeatedly interfering in the internal matters of Nepal. “Nepali people should stand united to challenge them,” he said, adding that New Delhi has always been a threat to Nepal’s sovereignty. The Maoist boss called for unity among the Nepali people to protect the sovereignty of the country and end all kinds of Indian interference.

In a new twist to the political crisis in Nepal, Maoist leaders on Sunday suggested to Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala that a referendum was the best option to decide the future of the monarchy. “We have suggested to him (Koirala) to explore other alternatives if his party hesitates to declare a republic immediately,” senior Maoist leader Baburam Bhattarai said. However, Koirala has rejected the idea of referendum, stating that it would help the royalists to reorganize.

Meanwhile, the central committee of the Communist Party of Nepal (UML) has also concluded that referendum would be the best way to end the present political deadlock.