Prachanda does a U-turn, says Indian priests to stay in temple

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Kathmandu: Prime Minister of Nepal Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda on Wednesday buckled under the pressure built up by mass protests and withdrew the Government’s decision to appoint Nepali priests at the Pashupatinath Temple here.

The Prime Minister made a series of announcements in the Constituent Assembly when the House reassembled after 10 days. Various political parties had called for a boycott to lodge their protest against ‘anti-people and anti-national’ decisions of the Government.

Prachanda announced that the Government’s decision to remove Indian priests from the Pashupatinath Temple and appoint Nepali priests in their place has been withdrawn. Indian priests will continue to carry out the day-to-day pujas and rituals here at the temple, he added.

Indian priests had been appointed at Pashupatinath back in the seventh century.

Prachanda’s decision comes in the wake of demands from certain political quarters that his Government be sacked for deliberately defying the Supreme Court issue, which could lead to breakdown in the constitutional machinery. The Government had not just refused to honour the court order staying the appointment of Nepali priests, which was seen as a breach of law and a centuries-old tradition.

Maoist ministers had criticised India for ‘interfering’ in Nepal’s internal affairs. BJP leaders L K Advani and Rajnath Singh and Samajwadi Party leaders Mulayam Singh Yadav and Amar Singh had even launched a protest on the issue.

Shankaracharya of Dwarkpeeth, Swaroopananda Saraswati, had on Tuesday called on the President, demanding safety of Indian priests, the Hindu tradition and the tradition of Lord Pashupatinath.

Prachanda also declared that no step was being taken to remove Chief of Army Staff General R Katawal for having defied a Government order to cease recruitment at the lower level of the army against normal vacancies. Prachanda made this announcement within hours of Gen Katawal’s meeting with Defence Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa Badal (who is also Central Committee member of the Maoist party) to explain that the ongoing regular appointments did not violate the comprehensive peace agreement.

The Prime Minister also renewed his promise to return all property that the Maoists had confiscated from individuals and the Government during the years of insurgency within the next three months. “I have already instructed the district administration to carry out the orders within the stipulated time frame,” he said.