'Prachanda's charge exposes bias against India'

Slamming Maoist leader Prachanda for alleging Indian interference in Nepal's affairs, premier Madhav Kumar Nepal has said his charges expose the "bias" of an "unpredictable" person against the neighbouring country.

Nepal asserted that his country was a sovereign nation and all talk about his government taking "dictation" fromIndia is "baseless".

Prachanda, after resigning as prime minister in May last year, is "restless and creating all sorts of problems",  he told PTI in an interview.

"At times he is behaving responsibly. So he is behaving in an unpredictable manner," the Prime Minister said about the Chairman of Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist).

Asked about Prachanda's allegation recently that India was interfering in his country's affairs and dictating to its leaders, Nepal said, "I have not seen any interference. I have not seen any dictation."

Prachanda, whose actual name is Pushpa Kamal Dahal, has recently been engaged in a sharp attack on India and went to the extent of describing it as "master" of Nepalese leaders. Nepal said if Maoists have "knowledge of dictation or interference, they should elaborate."

He said Prachanda had resigned as prime minister in May last year of his own will and "not out of pressure from outside".
"If he (Prachanda) resigned under pressure from outside, then he should tell people clearly. If he resigned of his own will, then why create hue and cry," the Nepalese prime minister said.

Prachanda had quit after President Ram Baran Yadav overruled his order sacking the then Army Chief Gen R Katawal. He was in power for nine months from August 2008.

"How can he (Prachanda) claim we are dictated? These are all false accusations, wrong allegations. There is no solid ground behind (the allegations)," Nepal asserted.

"That (allegations) exposes their (Maoist) bias against India, against the government (of Nepal) and those who support this government," he said, while noting that his government was supported by all countries, 360 MPs in the 601-member Constituent Assembly and Nepalese people at large.

Trashing Prachanda's allegations of dictation, Nepal said whatever decisions are taken by Nepal government are those taken by the Cabinet comprising leaders having long political background.

 "Prachanda attacks everyone who does not subscribe to his views," he said. "They (Maoists) think they are the only pure Communist party. This is authoritarian mindset, extreme Left ideology," the prime minister said.

Asked how he saw Prachanda's frequent visits to China in the recent times, Nepal was dismissive. "I have not taken seriously why he is frequently visiting (China)," he said.