India conveys unhappiness to Maoists over hate campaign

KATHMANDU: Conveying unhappiness over Prachanda's campaign against it, India has warned the Maoist supremo that the planned May one anti-government protests would further fan anti-India sentiments in Nepal.

Indian Ambassador Rakesh Sood, who met Prachanda yesterday at the latter's residence following Nepal government's decision to scrap a deal with India to print new smart passports following pressure from his party, expressed concern over Maoists' continued campaign against India.

The Maoists are planning a major rally on May one to press for ouster of 22-party coalition government, calling it a "puppet" regime, coinciding with the International Labour Day.

The Indian envoy was concerned that the protests could fan anti-India sentiments in Nepal, said Prachanda's aide Samir Dahal.

However, Prachanda assured Sood that his party's protests will not be directed against India, he said.

The Unified Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist always wanted to build good relations with Indian in the changed political context, he said quoting Prachanda.

Prachanda during the meeting said that his party wanted "a paradigm shift in relations with India by recognizing the changed political context in Nepal," Dahal said.

Sood had earlier met Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal soon after Nepal government revoked the Machine Readable Passport deal with India, and expressed displeasure over the decision.

India had regretted the politicisation of the contract, saying it was just a "goodwill gesture" toward its neighbour.

Since the fall of a Prachanda-led government last year, the Maoists have been accusing India of meddling in Nepal's internal affairs. They have been organising protests accusing India of encroaching Nepali territory and have demanded revision of Indo-Nepal Treaty of Peace and Friendship of 1950 which they termed as "unequal".