Bhattarai reaches out to rival faction on India pact

Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai on Saturday met Mohan Vaidya Kiran,senior Vice-Chairman of the Unified Communist Party of Nepal-Maoists (UCPN-M),urging him not to debate the Bilateral Investment Protection and Promotion agreement at the party’s central committee scheduled for November 3.

Bhattarai,it has been learnt,explained to Vaidya that the pact signed with India during his four-day visit did not compromise on Nepal’s interests. He also said the issue could be sorted out at the standing committee instead of being debated by the central committee. The standing committee has referred the issue to the central committee amid demands by a faction of the ruling party led by Vaidya to scrap the treaty.

The sources said Bhattarai seemed “apologetic” for having signed the agreement despite the standing committee having restrained him from any agreement with India. Vaidya,however,gave no commitment to stop the matter from being debated.

Vaidya and Bhattarai have been at loggerheads ever since the latter became PM on August 28 on the basis of a four-point deal between Maoists and the United Democratic Madhes Front (UDMF),promising mass entry of 10,000 people from Madhes (flat lands) to the Nepal army,and formalising pending agreements with friendly countries.