ANALYSIS: India’s Karan in town, Sharan waiting turn

KATHMANDU: Inidan National Congress leader and special emissary of India’s ruling party Karan Singh has reached Kathmandu on Friday for a two day visit. However, another influential Indian diplomat and former Indian Foreign Secretary Shyam Sharan is also coming to Nepal next week.

Visit to Nepal by these two high profile Indian diplomats which have affinity to different political ideologies in Nepal has given much impetus to Nepal’s analyst to write on.

Karan is supposed to be near Nepal’s deposed royal family and is also family relative of Nepal’s pro-monarchist leader Pashupati Shumsher Rana.

Karan is scheduled to attend a dinner hosted by Rana on Friday evening and is expected to meet Nepal’s high profile leaders during the party.

Analysts claim that Karan had personally, not officially, favoured Nepal as Hindu Kingdom but in the recent days have lost charm here.

But with Gyanendra and monarchy gone, Karan in the recent days has shown close affinity with Nepal’s President Ram Baran Yadav.

On the other hand, Shyam Sharan, who is also former ambassador to Nepal, has a opposite ideology than that of Karan Singh.

Supposed to be a pro-Republican diplomat, Sharan is credited with supporting the installation of secularism and republicanism in Nepal.

He had played critical role in bringing Nepal’s parliamentary parties and the than Maoist rebels together against the monarchy and was also there during the signing of 12 point Comprehensive Peace Agreement in New Delhi.

He shares close affinity with Prime Minister Dr Baburam Bhattarai.

Visit by these two opposite-ideology-bearing personalities in Nepal at a time when Nepal’s own political parties are at odds, is sure to create some ripples in the days ahead.

Though guesses about these changes might be premature to do, it is definite that there will be something coming in the days ahead.