New Delhi
24 April 2006
Calling into question Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's handling of
the Nepal situation, Former External Affairs Minister Natwar Singh on Monday asked him
to immediately call a meeting of leaders of all political parties to carve out a national
consensus on the Himalayan kingdom.
"We have let the people of Nepal down, lost the goodwill of the seven parties, earned the
annoyance of the Maoists and received no kudos from King Gyanendra," he said in a
statement. "Our not so masterly inactivity (for months) in Nepal has not succeeded," he
added for good measure.
Congress Spokesman Abhishek Singhvi defended by saying, "I don't subscribe....
Foreign policy has always been marked by continuity. There are no sudden jerks or
movements... we have always stood for multi-party democracy". He said Singh "may
have his own views" but the government's policy is well-known. "Government stands by
it (Nepal policy) and Congress fully endorses and supports it". Meanwhile, senior BJP
leader Jaswant Singh has postponed his Nepal visit. He was to leave for Kathmandu on
Monday as a representative of his party.
In November last year, he had raised hackles in the government by articulating his
opposition to India's policy on Iran. "If the next resolution on the Iran nuclear issue at the
International Atomic Energy Agency meeting ... was more severe than the previous one,
my advice to the government would be to reverse its vote," he had told reporters.
Mr Natwar Singh said Dr Karan Singh, who met King Gyanendra in Kathmandu last week
as Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's special envoy, tried "but it was too late". "What
can India do now. Too much is at stake in geopolitical terms. We should be the leading
player. Why are we not?" he wanted to know.
Mr Natwar Singh said the seven-point formula suggested by Mr Sitaram Yechury of
CPI(M) could be the base on which a coherent and concrete policy could firmly stand.
"The not so engaging linguistic incoherence of some Indian players will not do. We need
calm self-awareness, strong nerves," he observed.
The former minister added that the King should should take a page out of the democratic
book of the Bhutan King. "The skill and forethought His Majesty the King of Bhutan has
shown is praiseworthy. He has understood the temper of the times and responded with
wisdom," his statement read.
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