With BJP, Prachanda’s temple, Ram diplomacy

Advani — who has never been to Nepal — is reported to have remarked in a lighter vein that “it was probably the wish of Pashupati Nath that he visits Nepal during the prime ministership of Prachanda”.

On Tuesday, the visiting Communist dignitary disarmed everyone by using the “Ayodhya-Janakpur” meta-phor when he called on BJP president Rajnath Singh.

As Rajnath said, “India and Nepal share much more than political ties or geographical borders. We share an emotional bond,” Prachanda responded by talking about how Ram, who hailed from Ayodhya, married Janakpur’s Sita. “There may be ideological and political differences but we have great respect for the cultural heritage shared by the countries,” Prachanda said.

Ravi Shankar Prasad, along with Rajnath, raised the Kosi issue with Prachanda, but it was the visiting Communist leader’s free-wheeling discussion with his professed ideological adversaries that was clearly the highlight of the meeting.

Former RSS spokesperson Ram Madhav said that the organisation’s representatives in Nepal “were as much committed to democracy as anyone else there, but they were also concerned about the Hindu character of the country”. Sources say Prachanda looked visibly discomfited at the mention of the RSS presence in Nepal.

Arun Shourie asked Prachanda to ensure that Nepal is not used by forces inimical to the interests of India. Referring to his recent visit to China, Prachanda said that he was there to participate in the Olympics. "Nepal is a poor country sandwiched between two mighty powers -- China and India. It's in India's interests that its northern neighbour prospers along with it," he said.

CPM leaders Prakash Karat and Sitaram Yechury also met Prachanda and invited him to Kolkata.