Sujata: I have evidence of India, Nepal Maoist links

Thu, Oct 29 05:59 AM

Giving a new twist to the debate regarding India-Nepal Maoist links, Deputy Prime Minister Sujata Koirala on Wednesday claimed that she had evidence of arms flow from Nepal Maoists to their Indian counterparts.

At a recent interaction with the media in Nepalgunj town, Sujata — who is also in charge of the Foreign Ministry — said: "I have evidence. I need not reveal everything before the media."

The Government of India suspects that Nepal, apart from Bangladesh and Myanmar, may be the supply point for arms to Indian Maoists.

It was not known whether India has officially asked for details after Sujata's claim.

During the Maoist insurgency, which began in 1996, many Nepal Maoist leaders were said to have been based in India where they got support. Maoist leader Prachanda himself admitted that he had spent eight to 10 years during the insurgency in India.

However, Nepali Maoists changed course after they declared to work for peace and democracy in Nepal.

"We do not have the same kind of association with the Indian Maoists anymore," said senior leader of the Unified Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist Mohan Baidhya Kiran.

Sources in the Nepal Foreign Ministry said that they did not know on what basis Sujata had made the statement.

"We hear all kind of speculations. Smuggling of arms from China is on the rise, and that might have made its way to India. But we can not say that Maoists are involved in it", Foreign Ministry sources told The Indian Express.

Yet the nexus between the two groups are more than established. Kishenji, India's senior Maoist leader is a popular name among the 'revolutionaries' here. "He speaks fluent Nepali and many Nepalis love talking to him," said a Maoist leader.

"Similarly, there are some Indian individuals including journalists who have access to both sides," he claimed.

Some Maoist leaders in Nepal suspect that India is "trying to invent such a nexus so that it can resume the suspended supply of arms to the Nepal Army in the name of threat to India's security".

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