Thaindian News

Kathmandu, May 24 (IANS) India’s new government Sunday pledged support to neighbour Nepal’s new prime minister-elect communist leader Madhav Kumar Nepal, saying it was ready to assist the new cabinet in any way possible.
The Indian ambassador to Nepal Rakesh Sood paid a courtesy call at Nepal’s private residence in Kathmandu to offer the prime minister-elect New Delhi’s best wishes and the assurance of continued support.

The Indian gesture comes at a time the Maoists, who led the last government, have been growing increasingly bitter against New Delhi.

They have been calling the prime minister-elect a “puppet” propped by India and have said they would boycott the new government.

The Janadisha daily, the Maoist mouthpiece, Sunday said the new government was “directed” by India.

Nepal’s election, even though he lost the election last year from both his constituencies and his party was reduced to the third largest in parliament, sends out the message that Indian rulers have to be appeased at the cost of the Nepali people and raises questions about the nation’s sovereignty, the daily said.

In his last address in parliament, exiting prime minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda had accused New Delhi of trying to behave like Nepal’s big brother.

New Delhi, however, says the Maoist government failed because it was deserted by its own allies after it tried to sack the army chief unilaterally.

It has also expressed concern at the growing rift between the Maoists’ words and actual actions, especially a leaked video tape in which Prachanda was shown as saying he inflated the strength of his guerrilla army to bring the national army under control.