NEW DELHI/KATHMANDU, JUN 16 -
Indian Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, who was scheduled to visit Nepal on Saturday, has postponed his trip, citing growing political crisis in India.
“The finance minister is preoccupied with issues related to corruption and growing crisis regarding the draft of the anti-corruption Lokpal Bill. So, on Thursday, he decided to postpone his Nepal trip for the time being,” RD Dabral, Mukherjee’s personal assistant, told the Post. He added that Mukherjee will visit Kathmandu very soon. “We are looking forward to make his Nepal trip as early as possible—most probably within this month. Mukherjee—the seniormost minister in the United Progressive Alliance UPA-II government—heads the committee entrusted with the responsibility to prepare the Lokpal Bill which is supposed to be introduced in the monsoon session of parliament, starting next month.
The deepening rift between the government and representatives of the anti-corruption civil campaign led by social crusader Anna Hazare has left Indian polity to face unprecedented crisis, along with a spate of attacks from the opposition parties. “Mukherjee is considered a troubleshooter in Indian politics. During times of crisis like this, it is not good for him to make a foreign trip,” said a source close to him.
Other sources in New Delhi offered different explanations for the postponement of his Nepal trip. “Though internal crisis is one of the reasons, the crisis in Nepal has also played some role for the postponement of his visit,” a political party source said.
New Delhi understands that within a short span of time, there could be change in government in Kathmandu and it will be wiser for him to make the visit after the dust settles, instead of doing it now and again rabble-rouse that his visit led to the downfall of a government, political sources said.
In Kathmandu, Minister for Prime Minister’s Office Affairs Ghan Shyam Bhusal confirmed Mukherjee was all set the visit Nepal on Saturday and the visit was shelved at the 11th hour.
“We were assured till Wednesday that Mukherjee would be coming to discuss some India-funded projects in Nepal,” Bhusal said. “Today [Thursday] we received a notice saying he is not coming as per the earlier schedule.”
Recent political developments in Kathmandu, especially the lack of progress on the peace process, and his required presence in New Delhi forced him to postpone the visit, high-level government officials said.
On the invitation of Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Bharat Mohan Adhikari, Mukherjee was scheduled to visit Kathmandu on Saturday. During the visit the two sides were scheduled to sign a bilateral deal on Sunday worth US$ 250 million, a line of credit offered by the Indian government during the visit of President Dr Ram Baran Yadav to India in Feb 2010. Nepal’s Cabinet had also authorised Joint Secretary at Ministry of Finance Lal Shanker Ghimire to sign the deal with his Indian counterpart accompanying Mukherjee.
Indian Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, who was scheduled to visit Nepal on Saturday, has postponed his trip, citing growing political crisis in India.
“The finance minister is preoccupied with issues related to corruption and growing crisis regarding the draft of the anti-corruption Lokpal Bill. So, on Thursday, he decided to postpone his Nepal trip for the time being,” RD Dabral, Mukherjee’s personal assistant, told the Post. He added that Mukherjee will visit Kathmandu very soon. “We are looking forward to make his Nepal trip as early as possible—most probably within this month. Mukherjee—the seniormost minister in the United Progressive Alliance UPA-II government—heads the committee entrusted with the responsibility to prepare the Lokpal Bill which is supposed to be introduced in the monsoon session of parliament, starting next month.
The deepening rift between the government and representatives of the anti-corruption civil campaign led by social crusader Anna Hazare has left Indian polity to face unprecedented crisis, along with a spate of attacks from the opposition parties. “Mukherjee is considered a troubleshooter in Indian politics. During times of crisis like this, it is not good for him to make a foreign trip,” said a source close to him.
Other sources in New Delhi offered different explanations for the postponement of his Nepal trip. “Though internal crisis is one of the reasons, the crisis in Nepal has also played some role for the postponement of his visit,” a political party source said.
New Delhi understands that within a short span of time, there could be change in government in Kathmandu and it will be wiser for him to make the visit after the dust settles, instead of doing it now and again rabble-rouse that his visit led to the downfall of a government, political sources said.
In Kathmandu, Minister for Prime Minister’s Office Affairs Ghan Shyam Bhusal confirmed Mukherjee was all set the visit Nepal on Saturday and the visit was shelved at the 11th hour.
“We were assured till Wednesday that Mukherjee would be coming to discuss some India-funded projects in Nepal,” Bhusal said. “Today [Thursday] we received a notice saying he is not coming as per the earlier schedule.”
Recent political developments in Kathmandu, especially the lack of progress on the peace process, and his required presence in New Delhi forced him to postpone the visit, high-level government officials said.
On the invitation of Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Bharat Mohan Adhikari, Mukherjee was scheduled to visit Kathmandu on Saturday. During the visit the two sides were scheduled to sign a bilateral deal on Sunday worth US$ 250 million, a line of credit offered by the Indian government during the visit of President Dr Ram Baran Yadav to India in Feb 2010. Nepal’s Cabinet had also authorised Joint Secretary at Ministry of Finance Lal Shanker Ghimire to sign the deal with his Indian counterpart accompanying Mukherjee.
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