By IANS
New Delhi : With the political crisis in Nepal deepening after last week’s postponement of crucial elections, former foreign secretary Shyam Saran will go to Kathmandu Wednesday amid speculation India vehemently rebutted that it had any plan to send the army to the Himalayan state.
“They do not in any shape or form represent views of the government of India. He speaks purely for himself,” Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon told reporters here Tuesday, reacting to remarks of Ashok Mehta, a retired army general.
Mehta in an interview to BBC Nepal Service Radio said that India might send in the army to Nepal regardless of whether the neighbouring country asks for any such help or not.
India has been closely watching political developments in Nepal after the Maoists pulled out of the interim government, demanding abolition of the monarchy and changes to the election process.
New Delhi has repeatedly stressed that it is for the people of Nepal to decide what form of government they want. Officials, who do not wish to be identified, however, said that India is in favour of elections and a legitimate democratic process in Nepal that can bring much-needed peace and stability to the neighbouring country.
Last week, India expressed disappointment at the deferment of polls, a crucial element of the peace process, and said such a move threatened to undermine the credibility of the democratic process in the Himalayan country.
“The repeated postponement of elections erodes credibility and affects the process of democratic transformation and legitimisation in Nepal,” the external affairs ministry said in a statement.
Nepal’s ruling parties agreed to the Maoist demand to postpone the elections, scheduled for Nov 22, to choose the Constituent Assembly. The Nepalese parliament is now expected to convene on Oct 11 to discuss the Maoists’ demands.
As the spectre of political uncertainty loomed over Nepal, the external affairs ministry hoped that the interim parliament would soon decide on fresh dates for the elections and address “all relevant issues democratically, to enable the people of Nepal to choose their own future and the manner of their governance, through a free and fair election process”.