Indian Ambassador meets Prachanda before Delhi visit

,Five days after he accused India of interfering in Nepal’s internal matters, Maoist chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ had a meeting with Indian Ambassador to Nepal Rakesh Sood on Sunday, reports Utpal Parashar.

Updated on: Dec 27, 2009, 13:19:24 IST

Hindustan Times | By Utpal Parashar, Kathmandu

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Five days after he accused India of interfering in Nepal’s internal matters, Maoist chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ had a meeting with Indian Ambassador to Nepal Rakesh Sood on Sunday.

The meeting at Prachanda’s Naya Bazaar residence started at 8:00 am and lasted for nearly 45 minutes. Soon after the meeting, Sood left for New Delhi for his regular briefing on developments in the Himalayan nation.

“Comrade Prachanda expressed resentment at the recent remarks of Indian Army chief General Deepak Kapoor and asked New Delhi to clarify its stand on the matter,” a source close to Prachanda said.

Kapoor had reportedly expressed reservations on en mass integration of former Maoist rebels in the Nepal Army during the recent India visit of his Nepal counterpart General Chatraman Singh Gurung.

Prachanda had termed the statement as “open interference” in Nepal’s affairs during a rally in the capital on December 22 and repeated his remarks inside the parliament two days later.

Terming the Nepal government as “remote-controlled robots”, he had expressed his desire to talk directly to the “masters” in Delhi on a fresh look at “unequal” relations between the two neighbours.

Sood is understood to have asked the former prime minister the reason for his outburst and desire to have talks with India. Indian Embassy officials here said that they have no idea about the content of the meeting

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Utpal Parashar
A seasoned senior journalist, I have nearly three decades of experience across print, digital, and online platforms, covering political transitions, insurgencies, environmental issues, and development stories in India and Nepal. I am skilled in breaking news, leading editorial teams and launch of newspaper editions. I am adept at leveraging digital trends and social media to expand global reach, with a strong ethical foundation and a reputation for impactful journalism. An alumnus of Asian College of Journalism, I joined Hindustan Times in New Delhi as a trainee reporter in May 1997. Over the years, I have been posted in Dehradun, Kathmandu (Nepal) and Guwahati. Currently, as Senior Assistant Editor at Hindustan Times, I lead a team reporting on India’s northeastern states. My work involves in-depth analysis, and engaging multimedia storytelling across formats, including text, photo, video, and interactive content. I am skilled in producing timely, shareable content, leveraging digital platforms and social media to engage global audiences. Throughout my career with the Hindustan Times, I have led diverse editorial teams, designed capacity-building activities, and supported reporters in developing strong story ideas, ethical reporting practices, digital skills, and fact-checking techniques. As Senior Assistant Editor for Northeast India, I have been responsible for guiding correspondents through complex political, humanitarian, and community-level stories using multimedia formats. Earlier, as Foreign Correspondent in Nepal, I produced extensive reporting during Nepal’s democratic transition and the 2015 earthquake and its aftermath.Read More

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