KATHMANDU: Chairman of the Maoist Center Pushpa Kamal Dahal “Prachanda”, who visited Delhi with great hopes and expectations, returned without meeting the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi. 

His visit was viewed meaningfully by several quarters. The meeting, which took place when Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba’s wife Dr. Arzu Rana was also in India, has been viewed by many with the suspicion that some new preparations for power change have been made. 

What could be the reason why Prachanda did not meet Indian Prime Minister Modi? Meanwhile, why hasn’t the Maoist Center not yet elected the office-bearers?

Why is the Maoist still confused about the issue of alliance with the Nepali Congress? Based on these issues, Dhiraj Basnet held a conversation with Ganesh Saha, an influential leader of the Maoist Center. Excerpts:

Prachanda’s visit to India was viewed with great hope and expectation. But his meeting with India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi was canceled at the eleventh hour. Why?

Yes, Prachanda’s meeting with India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi was canceled at the last moment. However, there is a practice of making a political leader’s visit a major issue. 

Moreover, Prachanda was not invited by the Indian government. It was the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which invited Prachanda. 

The visit was particularly aimed at improving the relationship between the two parties, and improving the economic situation of the country. 

Therefore, this was something different. In this meeting too, there has been a mutual relationship between the parties of the two countries. 

But in Nepal, if Prachanda or other communist leaders visit India, they will be looked at with suspicion.

What was the main objective of Prachanda’s visit to India then?

If Prachanda went to India to make the relationship between the two parties simple, the meeting can be seen as a courtesy from the point of view of the politicians of Nepal toward India. 

As I said earlier, let’s say that the visit was aimed at further strengthening the relationships between the two parties.

Prachanda said that the visit was successful and the results will be seen soon. What does this mean?

There have been some ups and downs in the relationship between the two neighbors lately. Therefore, the visit was aimed at making it “smooth”. 

I will tell you why people looked at Prachanda’s visit with suspicion. It was mainly because the head of the Foreign Department of the China Communist Party has just returned from his visit to Nepal when Prachanda went to Delhi. 

People thought that the Maoists were again playing the game of power change.

If we talked about the change of power, it should be taken as an expression of a program of UML Chairman KP Oli and Maoist leader Narayan Kaji Shrestha.

I don’t see any fundamental change now. 

The diplomatic relations between China and India were smooth in previous years, which, however, have gone sour in recent times.

Prachanda must have tried to bring the tripartite relations back to track.

Can we say that Maoist Center’s current strategy is to change the ruling alliance along with the government?

The coalition, which has formed in the country, can be further strengthened through negotiations. 

If we look at it in terms of our activities and understanding after the last election, it can be a matter of synergy within this alliance. 

There may be power sharing. Before this, there was the matter of the Prime Minister, and that too on the basis of change of the Prime Minister. Yes, the exercises to change the Prime Minister cannot be ruled out.

Are Maoists currently bargaining to make Prachanda the Prime Minister?

This is not the case. However, we, as a coalition, need to proceed sensibly. We need to understand the sensibility of the ruling alliance.

The extent of the alliance or understanding between the Maoists and the UML is a different matter. If there is no alliance with the UML, then the coalition will definitely move forward. 

We have already said that we will make a plan and move forward. But what do people think about us if we keep on changing partners?

Therefore, our effort is to take the alliance forward on the basis of mutual understanding. 

We have almost decided to face the upcoming parliamentary and provincial elections on the basis of an electoral alliance.

Is it that the Maoist Center runs after power and benefits?

One has to understand the background of the Maoist Center. It was engaged in a decade-long insurgency. 

At that time, the situation and the Maoists’ mentality, too, were different. 

Now there is complete peace. The party then did not even believe in a parliamentary system.

What I think about this matter is that our capacity in this field should be developed in any way. 

Even now, the Maoists have not accepted this arrangement. However, the party has been contesting the arrangement. 

Therefore, the party is bound to proceed accordingly.