New Delhi, March 21:

Bharatiya Janata Party senior leader Lal Krishna Advani has called for preserving the institution of the monarchy and promoting democracy in Nepal.

In his autobiography “My life, my country” dedicated to party leader and former prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, which was released on Wednesday by former president APJ Abdul Kalam, he has pointed out the monarchy is a symbol of Nepal’s sovereignty and unity.

Stating that India and Nepal share longstanding deep cultural and emotional ties, he said in his book that the BJP stands for preserving ties with Nepal and also called for making Nepal a successful and progressive multi-party democracy.

Earlier, during a programme of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industries, Advani had called the monarchy as Nepal’s symbol of continuity and stability. In his book, he has advised India to help Nepal to the utmost for making it peaceful, stable and progressive.

Mentioning the issues of Naxalism and other challenges in his autobiography, Advani has claimed that ties between Nepal’s Maoists and India’s Naxalites exist.

“Everyone knows this. However, the United Progressive coalition central government headed by the Congress-I has ruled out this.

Advani has devoted a portion of the 1000-page tome to Nepal. He has already sold thousands of copies of the book, creating waves in India’s political circles.

Flaying the Nepal’s Maoists, Adavni has described India and Nepal as fraternal twins and added that these two countries are scourged by communism that has already been blackballed by most other countries in the world.

In his book, Advani has also warned that it would be suicidal to take a soft stand vis a vis the Maoists who have caused the deaths of thousands of Nepalis and kept Nepal unbalanced for more than a decade.

The Maoists’ bid to grab power by any means is against the wishes of both India and Nepal, he has written. India has a neutral stand as far as other countries’ internal affairs are concerned, he has written, adding that this would apply as long as India’s interests are not affected by goings-on in other countries.

Photographs of Advani at various stages of life has also been published in the book, including the one that shows him shaking hands with late king Birendra.