US playing a game against Maoists: Former Indian Nepal Envoy

Former Indian envoy to Nepal Dev Mukherjee 'cautioned' his government against what he called a game being played by the US against the Maoists in Nepal. He said this might lead to strong Chinese reaction, Kantipur daily reported.

According to the daily, Mukherjee, while speaking at a seminar in New Delhi on "Emerging Situation in Nepal : Policy Options for India" organised by Observer Research Foundation, a foreign policy think tank, on Friday, said India must be cautious about the US game in Nepal.

Stating that US government has been trying to deny legitimacy to Maoist led government in Nepal, he said this could lead to instability due to possible reactions by China, given the situation in Tibet.

Mukherjee claimed that US officials in Kathmandu and some people within the Nepali Congress party have been suggesting Prime Minister Girija Koirala to lead the next government and not hand over the leadership to the CPN (Maoist) which has emerged as the largest party through recent elections.

Terming the refusal of Koirala to step down from prime minister's office is against the people's mandate and that it would lead to a constitutional crisis in Nepal.

Speaking at the same programme, CPI leader D. Raja stressed on the need to review the treaty with Nepal as it has done with Bhutan last year. "I don't think the Indian government will have any objections," he said.

Mike Ely of Kasama also writes about the continuation of another game against CPN Maoist the terrorist labelling of CPN Maoist by US Government"

The Deputy Spokesperson for the US State Department, Tom Casey,
talking to journalists on Wednesday May 15, 2008, made it clear that
the Nepal Maoists had never been a "foreign terrorist organization, "
as designated; they were rather in the "terrorist exclusion list" that
has implications on consular issues, visas and other kinds of matters."

This is a rather startling claim after the U.S. government and its
representatives have denounced the Maoists as terrorists for years.
For example here is a State Department statement from just last week:

"Although the Government of Nepal no longer considers the Maoists to
be terrorists, the U.S. Government's designation of the Communist
Party of Nepal (Maoist) as a "Specially Designated Global Terrorist"
organization under Executive Order 13224 and its inclusion on the
"Terrorist Exclusion List" pursuant to the Immigration and Nationality
Act remain in effect. These two designations make Maoists excludable
from entry into the United States and bar U.S. citizens from
transactions such as contribution of funds, goods, or services to, or
for the benefit of, the Maoists. "

The fact that the Maoists of Nepal are designated as "terrorists" in
any way remains a lie and an outrage.

Democracy and Class Struggle says these are again testing times for the CPN Maoist and it is important that they continue to hold the strategic initiative on the question of the formation of the government following their resounding Electoral victory.

They also need to maintain discipline amongst the YCL and Party members so that unforseen local events do not blow them of course.

The countdown to the Republic will bring disparate opposition elements together and the US will not fail to maximise any opportunity to undermine CPN Maoist has history has demonstrated.

However the CPN Maoist has a history of concrete analyisis of concrete conditions to guide their response to challenges but vigilance has to be the watchword prior to declaration of Republic.