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Having given covert
support to the Sri Lankan government to try and bomb the LTTE into accepting an
Indian sponsored package deal, the Indian expansionist rulers have now also
turned their military focus towards Nepal. Under the pretext of curbing ISI
operations and enhancing security vis-a-vis the hijacking of the Indian Airlines
Flight IC-814 in December ’99, the Indian rulers, in collaboration with their
newly installed puppet prime minister, Girija Prasad Koirala, plan to trample
further Nepal’s sovereignty.
The main goal of the
two governments, is to crush the growing Maoist insurgency in the country led by
the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist). This was evident during the recent
visit to Kathmandu (June 6/7) by India’s National Security Advisor, Brajesh
Mishra. At this meeting, the Nepalese government directly requested their Indian
bosses for "assistance" in controlling the growing activities of the
CPN(M) within the country. Immediately, the Indian government decided to
"secure" the 1041 km border with Nepal, by funding the Nepal government to
develop "infrastructure" along the border and upgrade the crossing points
at Raxaul-Birganj, Sunauli-Bhairawa and Jogbani-Biratnagar. Obviously, afraid
that the Maoists in the Terai regions may coordinate with the Maoists in Bihar
and North India, the Indian government’s reaction was prompt. Further details
of India’s assistance in Nepal’s counter-insurgency operations are to be worked
out at a high level meeting to take place soon. Indian External Affairs
Minister, Jaswant Singh, is to soon go to Kathmandu, accompanied by the RSS Home
Secretary, Kamal Pandey, to finalise the methods to be adopted.
In fact the speed at
which the Koirala government has capitulated to the demands of the Indian
expansionists after coming to power, raises doubts as to whether the
destabilisation of the Krishna Prasad Bhattarai government was not the handiwork
of the Indian rulers !!
In April 2000 itself
two major sets of agreements were signed that would allow India to dump its
goods in Nepal, and allow Indian comprador bourgeois houses to take further
control of Nepal’s rich natural wealth.
In the sphere of
trade, Indian and Nepalese companies entered into a number of agreements
covering diverse areas like medical transcription, tourism, refractories,
chemicals, etc. Also, some Indian companies signed an MoU for setting up joint
ventures or for sourcing goods from India with Nepalese companies.These included
companies like Indo Rama Synthetics, Indo-German Engines, ITC Surya Tobacco, and
the United Breweries.
Then, in mid-May
2000, the External Affairs ministers of the two countries agreed to jointly
fight ‘terrorism’. This being the precursor, to the present counter-insurgency
plans.
In end May, Nepal was
forced to accept all the humiliating conditions imposed by India for security
checks at the Kathmandu airport, in order to re-start the Indian Airline
flights. After having resisted Indian arm-twisting for five months, (with even a
section of the Nepalese Congress opposed to the agreement), the Koirala
government totally capitulated, by allowing Indian security, independent rights
at the airport. Security at any airport being the jurisdiction of the government
concerned, this amounts to an outright infringement of the sovereignty of the
country and its people. The agreement, not surprisingly, was signed in utmost
secrecy, and the full details are yet to be made public.
This was followed by
Brajesh Mishra’s two day visit to Nepal in early June, and will be followed by
that of Jaswant Singh/Kamal Pandey, and a planned meeting between the prime
ministers of the two countries towards end July.
It is obvious that,
with a pliable puppet, Koirala, in power, the Indian expansionists and
imperialists plan to step up the loot of Nepal’s rich natural resources, and pry
open their market to Indian /TNC goods. For this, Nepal must be made "safe" from
the Maoists. But the people of Nepal, under the leadership of the CPN(M) are
vehemently opposing this banditry, and with arms in their hands, are advancing
the people’s war for a New Democratic Nepal, as a first step towards socialism
and communism. Also deep fissures have developed in the Nepali ruling classes
with a section opposing Koirala’s total capitulation and Mishra’s arm-twisting
methods.
On the very day
Brajesh Mishra left Nepal, Maoist guerrillas attacked a police outpost housing
52 policemen. In the night-long battle at Thime village in Jajarkot, at least
twelve policemen were killed and 11 seriously injured. A massive cache of arms
and ammunition fell into the hands of the revolutionaries, through an action in
which, it is reported, 1000 people participated.
So, let the Brajesh
Mishras, Jaswant Singhs and their ilk, beware of trampling on Nepalese
sovereignty !!
Meanwhile, we call on
the people of India to vehemently oppose the Indian rulers expansionist policies
in Nepal, and demand that the government of India immediately halt all present
and future military plans against the Nepali people. 12-6-2000
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