Maoists to deal equally with India, China

KATHMANDU: Maoist standing committee member and in-charge of foreign affairs Krishna Bahadur Mahara today said that the current political impasse in Nepal would not surface in the talks with Chinese officials during their China visit which will begin Sunday.

A four-member UCPN-Maoist team led by party chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' is leaving for Beijing at 9:20 am on Sunday. Senior vice-chairman and head of the organisation department of the party Mohan Baidhya 'Kiran' and Dahal's son Prakash are also accompanying Prachanda. They are boarding Air China. 

Mahara also dismissed the speculations that their China visit would affect the party's relationship with the Southern neighbour India.

"We want to keep both our neighbouring countries in equidistance," he said, talking at a face-to-face programme organised by Jana Sanchar Abhiyan in the capital, today.

The Communist Party of China (CPC) has invited Prachanda months ago. The visit was postponed after Prachanda stepped down from the government.

"CPC called us again, so we are paying a visit now," Mahara said, adding, "Two major agenda of our visit is to strengthen the relations both at the country-level and among the two parties." 

Mahara also said that his party believes in a strong and stable government in the country that maintains equidistance with both the neighbours - China and India.

He also accused the ruling coalition parties of leaning towards one country and leaving the other neighbour suspicious.

On recruiting journalists by the Home Ministry Mahara said his party was against the move as it was intended to use the journalists for their vested interest.

He also charged Minister Bidhya Bhandari’s statement as going against the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, dragging the country towards turmoil.Â