US embassy cable - 05NEWDELHI6847

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 NEW DELHI 006847 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/05/2015 
TAGS: PREL, KDEM, PGOV, IN, NP, India-Nepal 
SUBJECT: INDIAN MINISTER: NEPAL'S KING UNREPENTANT, BUT GOI 
WILL NOT BLINK 
 
Classified By: A/DCM Geoff Pyatt for Reasons 1.4 (B, D) 
 
1.  (C) Summary: Indian Minister Jaipal Reddy told us that 
Nepal's King Gyanendra was unrepentant in a discussion at the 
August 29 SAARC information ministers' meeting.  The King is 
hoping India will blink, but it will not, Reddy said.  In the 
meantime, he argued, the Maoists are gaining ground and 
Indian naxalites are deriving encouragement from their 
Nepalese counterparts' political success.  End Summary. 
 
King Unrepentant, India Will Not Blink 
-------------------------------------- 
 
2.  (C) Nepal's King Gyanendra was "unrepentant" in an August 
29 meeting with SAARC Information Ministers, Indian Minister 
of Information and Broadcasting Jaipal Reddy told A/DCM and 
Poloff on September 2.  In a forum with all SAARC ministers, 
the King spoke primarily with Reddy and his Pakistani 
counterpart, the minister said.  Reddy told Gyanendra and his 
Pakistani interlocutor that their arguments about Western 
laws being tightened post-9/11 were inapplicable to their own 
countries, as Western actions were aimed at enemies, and 
could not be used as an argument to "deny democracy to one's 
own people."  Reddy also warned the Nepalese ministers in 
attendance that the Maoists have gained ground in the six 
months since the King seized power. 
 
3.  (C) Reddy, a senior Congress Party leader, noted that the 
King is very concerned about the GOI position on restoration 
of democratic governance, and expects New Delhi to give in. 
However, he predicted, the Indian Cabinet "will not blink," 
because New Delhi recognizes that giving in to the King would 
only strengthen the Maoists' position.  While the BJP wants 
to support the monarchy, he reported, solid Left Front 
support will buttress the GOI stance to hold out for a 
restoration of democracy. 
 
Maoists Gaining in Nepal and India 
---------------------------------- 
 
4.  (C) Reddy opined that the King's continuation of 
feudalism would over time further advantage the Maoist 
insurgency.  Because Gyanendra removed the buffer of the 
political parties between himself and the people, the 
Nepalese public is becoming further opposed to monarchy, 
Reddy commented, and the Maoists are gaining ground in public 
opinion. 
 
5.  (C) Worse, Indian naxalite Maoists are deriving "fresh 
inspiration" from perceived Maoist success in Nepal, Reddy 
observed, adding that a Maoist takeover would threaten not 
only democracy in Nepal but also India.  (Reddy's home state 
of Andhra Pradesh has its own naxalite insurgency.)  The King 
is gambling that India's security interests would force New 
Delhi to intervene in a crisis, but the GOI is maintaining 
its stand for democracy, Reddy stated. 
 
Comment: Staying the Course 
--------------------------- 
 
6.  (C) Reddy's presentation came across as much more 
heartfelt than the points we hear from MEA bureaucrats.  His 
observations confirm that, while the Palace continues to 
insist to GOI interlocutors that its actions are both 
necessary and ultimately democratic, the UPA government has 
no intentions of giving up its insistence on democracy. 
Unfortunately, Reddy's interactions with Gyanendra did not 
provide him any insights on how to convince the King to back 
down from his position. 
 
7.  (U) Visit New Delhi's Classified Website: 
(http//www.state.sgov/p/sa/newdelhi) 
MULFORD