This article was published in Telegraph Nepal.
We will make Prachanda’s fate akin to Gyanendra: Indian Ambassador
This particular incident took place some two weeks back.
Some selected and ‘very few’ journalists were invited at the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu. And, they were served lavish dinner- obviously at the cost of teeming poverty stricken Indian nationals. The Embassy staffers took special care in that the invitation would not go into wrong hands. The fear factor continues to haunt the Indian Embassy clerical officials.
The “sole mission” of the dinner was to provide special instructions to those salaried journalists who are considered as ‘very close’ to the Indian embassy. Money matters after all!
What was the training cum instructions then coming from the India House? Sources say that the objective of the dinner was to assign befitting roles to the Nepali journalists during the visits of Indian Foreign Minister S.M. Krishna followed by Indian Army Chief Deepak Kapoor. Krishna has already left and Kapoor is still in Nepal. This means that this dinner was served much ahead of Krishna’s Nepal trip.
Rakesh Sood, the Indian ambassador-the host of the ceremony and the real administrator of this unfortunate country, who looked beaming that night talked to each and every “India friendly” journalists. He instructed them one by one-much similar to how a teacher does to his student in the primary school, and told them all not to prepare any reports that gave the impression to the public that India was interfering in Nepali matters. Naughty Ambassador.
He also told them not to cover any news or favor write-ups criticizing Indian role in Nepal. He also informed them that in order to foil the ongoing Unified Maoists’ Party Led agitation for National Independence such a strategy should work perfectly.
As the night began falling slowly and slowly the intimacy between the journalists and the Ambassador began increasing. Naughty Alcohol! The journalists thus began asking various questions. Is New Delhi planning to restore monarchy in Nepal? Why Gyanendra is being laid red carpet in New Delhi? How dare Maoists’ open up new front against India? Why is India silent? Several questions were posed to the Ambassador…however he had just an answer to all those questions.
Sood summed up stating this. “Prachanda Ko Bhi Gyanendra Banadengey- we will make Prachanda’s fate similar to Gyanendra.” “Bas itna hi kafi hai-this much is enough”.
Sources reveal finally, all the attending journalists who had enough booze that night returned home happy.
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