Sharad Yadav is an old hand in Delhi politics. He has swung from being a socialist to a staunch ally of the Bharatiya Janata Party, and now heads the Janata Dal (United). A minister in the previous BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government, his political fortunes on the national stage have faded in recent years. Yadav's residence on Tughlak Road, in the heart of Delhi, usually bears a rather deserted look. On 16 September, however, the entire road was blocked to traffic. Television crews crowded the entrance to his house; a red carpet was laid out, and top national politicians made their ways inside. The garden area was bustling with preparations for a sumptuous lunch. When the chief guest walked in, all those present immediately stood up.
The Indian political establishment was in full attendance to honour Nepali Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal (nom de guerre: 'Prachanda'), on his first official visit to India. If Prime Minister Dahal wanted to win the trust of New Delhi's ruling elite, the lunch at Yadav's house will rank as a major landmark, for it brought together key Indian political adversaries onto the same stage. Left leader Prakash Karat was sitting with the Samajwadi Party's Mulayam Singh Yadav, who deserted him a month ago when the government was facing a floor test over the India-US nuclear deal. The BJP's Murli Manohar Joshi, a vehement critic of the Nepali Maoists, sat alongside Congress leader Digvijay Singh. Bihar's Chief Minister Nitish Kumar flew in from Patna for the event, even as senior minister Sharad Pawar and former Prime Minister I K Gujral listened to Dahal with rapt attention.
Prachanda played to the gallery. Speaking in chaste Hindi, he began by saying, "During the war, I spent eight out of ten years underground here in India. From Delhi to Karnataka to Bengal to Uttarakhand, I have lived here and tried to understand your country. In three years, we have moved from war to government, through democratic elections. Sometimes, I feel this is a dream." He emphasised that Nepal had a "special relationship" with India, and talked about his plans to take these ties to a new level. In what he called his first "political visit" as prime minister, the former rebel leader's aim was not so much to re-energise the Nepal-India relationship as to reach out to all sections in New Delhi, allay apprehensions about the Nepali Maoists, portray himself as a moderate, and win across-the-board political acceptability. Over five days, all of his meetings were largely designed to cater to these objectives.
Different avatars
As at home, Prime Minister Dahal knew what to say to which audience. Paradoxes were rife. At a packed gathering of Indian business leaders, the radical communist became a free-market fundamentalist. With BJP leaders, the atheist talked about the Hindu essence of Nepali society. With old friends in the Indian radical left, the head of the Nepali government talked about fighting the bourgeoisie and foreign forces, with the present achievements but a way station to the 'people's republic'. Addressing the Indian foreign-policy elite, the ultra-nationalist thanked India for its help, and said that the peace process in Nepal was the "collective responsibility" of both countries.