Nepal doesn't want to be India's 'yes man', says Prachanda

Kathmandu: Nepal does not want to be India’s “yes man”, Maoist chief Prachanda said on Monday, even as the country’s top political leaders vowed to maintain good relations with both India and China. [caption id=“attachment_2441344” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Prachanda. AFP[/caption] “Nepal wants to be a good friend of India, not the yes man,” said Prachanda, a day after India expressed concern over the violent situation in several parts of Nepal along the Indian border and asked the country to resolve differences through dialogue. Prachanda, addressing a joint rally at Tundikhel Open Ground here to mark the promulgation of the Constitution, said Nepal was ready to address India’s concerns but it should also reciprocate. The Maoist chief, who is known for his anti-India stance, said India and China should welcome this historic moment of promulgation of the Constitution. “I hope India and China will show special respect to this historic achievement,” said Prachanda, who led a decade-long civil war in Nepal before joining the peace process in 2006. “As a good friend, Nepal will honour India’s genuine concerns and interest and we expect the same from India,” he said. Prime Minister Sushil Koirala, while addressing the same gathering, said Nepal wants to move forward by maintaining cordial relations with both neighbouring countries India and China. Koirala also thanked the international community including India and China for extending support to draft the new Constitution. He also sought cooperation from all sides for the country to move forward on the path of development and economic progress as well as reconstruction following the devastation caused by the deadly earthquakes earlier this year. CPN-UML chairman KP Sharma Oli also called for friendly relations with neighbours. “We want to maintain friendly relations with all our neighbours by protecting our sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Oli said. “We cannot even think about making anyone enemy,” he said. Meanwhile, Indian envoy to Nepal Ranjit Rae today briefed the Indian government on the latest situation in the country after it adopted its new fully secular and democratic Constitution amid violent protests. Rae, who had spoken to the Nepalese Prime Minister yesterday to convey India’s concerns over the violent situation in several parts of the country bordering it, has been called for “consultations”, official sources in New Delhi said. PTI