India takes up security of Indian companies with Prachanda

Indian Ambassador to Nepal Rakesh Sood, who met Maoists chairman Prachanda on Thursday, said he has raised the issue of anti-India rhetorics by the CPN-Maoist party.
Last year, Prachanda had accused India's "naked interference" for the political crisis in Nepal.

"During my talks with Prachanda, I told him that he wants to have good relations with India and at the same time his party's cadres are carrying out anti-India activities," Sood told the Republica national daily.

"When asked how can the two be reconciled? We would like to see all anti-India activities come to an end," Sood was quoted as saying by the myrepublica online, the website of the Nepali newspaper.

In an exclusive interview, Sood denied Maoists' charges that India was responsible for toppling Prachanda-led government last year. He said it was lack of trust between the Maoists and other parties that led to fall of the government.

Sood had also discussed with Prachanda his party activities targeting Indian Joint Ventures.

"The Maoists have prevented some Indian companies from doing their work and I have taken up the issue with Prachanda and Nepal government," the envoy said.
Sood said that India would like to ensure that the 1,800-km open border between the two counties does not become a source of vulnerability for India over which it has security concerns.

The Maoists need to take concrete action to reestablish trust, he pointed out.
In reply to a question, Sood said both India and China wanted to see stability in Nepal as any instability in the country is a cause of concern for both the countries.
India would very much like that the Constituent Assembly produce a new constitution; he said adding "We have no agenda other than to support economic development and Nepal’s emergence as a stable multi-party democratic state.

Tens of thousands of Maoist supporters assembled in the heart of the capital on Saturday to force Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal to quit so as to form a government led by the former rebels.

The Maoist cadrers raised slogans like 'scrap Indo-Nepal Peace and Friendship Treaty of 1950', 'topple the puppet government, 'Madhav Nepal quit country' and 'foil conspiracy hatched by regressive forces'.