Maoists' win in Nepal polls will help India: Prachanda

New Delhi, Apr 5: Communist Party of Nepal leader Prachanda has claimed that a victory of Maoists in the forthcoming Nepal elections will only help India.

The Maoist leader claimed that the victory of the Maoists in the democratic exercise will pave way for Maoists in India to take a plunge in the electoral battle in India. ...''It will help India,'' he said. He said the coming April 10 ballot in the Himalayan Kingdom would be important as it will show a ''new way'' to gain power. To a poser on the use of violence by Maoist insurgents during the civil war, he said less violence has taken place in Nepal than projected internationally. ''Violence is also necessary to gain a democratic framework and to bring down monarchy,'' he added while talking to NDTV India the Nepalese.

To a question on King and his palace, the Maoist leader asserted that the King will have to go.

Prachanda said his organisation will continue to protest the United States as it has continuously termed the rebels as ''terrorists.'' As of now, 30,000 communist rebel fighters are confined to camps under the terms of a November 2006 peace agreement.

The violence in Nepal has so far claimed over 12,000 lives and have devastated the economy which relies heavily on tourism.

Born Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Prachanda is the leader of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist). He is also the leader of People's Liberation Army (PLA), the military wing of CPN (M). Under his leadership, CPN (M) launched the Nepalese People's War on the February 13, 1996, in which about 12,000 Nepalis have died so far.

Prachanda's extension of Marxism-Leninism-Maoism to take specific account of Nepal's situation is known as the 'Prachanda Path.'

UNI