Nepal Maoists blame India for crisis in their land

New Delhi: Nepal Maoists have blamed India for the unrest in the Himalayan nation over the sacking of army chief General Rukmangad Katawal and the subsequent resignation of Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda.

Soon after Prachanda's resignation senior Maoist leader and Finance Minister Baburam Bhattarai accused India of being behind President Ram Baran Yadav's "unconstitutional" move to block the sacking of General Rukmangad Katawal.

"In Nepal we are trying to institutionalise democracy. For that we have to bring army into civilian supremacy. This is a fight and in this fight the so-called democratic forces headed by the so-called bureaucrats in New Delhi are dictating patrons in Kathmandu to side with the army and fight against democratic forces," alleged Baburam Bhattarai.

Bhattarai demanded that President Yadav should revoke his decision to restore the army chief otherwise the Maoists would start an agitation.

"We have resigned in protest so that we gain moral high ground to fight against these forces. The so-called President has been directly dictated by New Delhi and he has restored the sacked army chief. First he should take back his decision and then only can we think about forming a government or else we will go to the streets and march with people to fight against these anti-democratic forces," he said.

Prachanda, Nepal's first Maoist Prime Minister, on Monday announced his resignation blaming Nepal's political parties and foreign powers for hindering his government.

Announcing his resignation Prachanda accused the President, who belongs to pro-India opposition party Nepali Congress, of taking an "unconstitutional and undemocratic decision".

He made a thinly-veiled attack on India over its reported backing of army chief General Rukmangad Katawal.

The face off between Prachanda and the Army chief escalated when General Katuwal did not absorb Maoist fighters into the army, and recruited 3,000 soldiers.

Prachanda then sacked the General Katuwal as the army chief. President Yadav called the General Katuwal's dismissal unconstitutional.

The Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist Leninist), too, has withdrawn its support to the government.