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As former prime minister and UCPN (Maoist) chief Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda prepares to visit India next week, experts yesterday suggested him to hold consultations with major political parties on his agenda. |
Prachanda is slated to visit India from April 28 to May 2 and he is expected to meet Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress party president Sonia Gandhi, among other Indian leaders, according to Agni Prasad Sapkota, spokesperson of UCPN (M).
Meanwhile, Nepalese foreign experts said Prachanda should listen to other political leaders this time round about what he will be discussing with India.
“We have seen that Prachanda did not think it necessary to build consensus among major political parties on his agenda before his recent China visit. There is room left to believe that all the commitments he got during his visit will translate into reality,” Bhesh Bahadur Thapa, a former minister, said.
Former ambassador to Russia, Hiranya Lal Shrestha, said wider discussion on the issues to be taken up in Prachanda’s upcoming India visit will help ensure protection of broader national interests.
“Since the agenda presented by a party may not work as the national foreign policy, it will be better if UCPN (M) consults other major political parties upon the issues to be raised in Prachanda’s New Delhi visit,” said Shrestha.
Prachanda is expected to advance ‘welcome more investment’ strategy on the top of his agenda during the visit where he is to propose for tripartite investment from India, China and Nepal in Karnali Chisapani hydropower project, one of the largest projects in the subcontinent, sources close to Prachanda said.