No agreement on Acharya for India's ambassador

Kathmandu, Sep 13: Nepal's Parliamentary Hearing Special Committee could not reach consensus on government recommended Ambassador to India Sailaja Acharya, who was accused of siding with the regressive rule of King Gyanendra.

Her name was objected saying it would be against the spirit and mandate of Janaandolan-II.

"Although Sailaja had fought for democracy in the past, she stood in favour of the autocratic royal regime by giving public statements against the April Uprising in 2006," Kantipur quoted Dila Ram Acharya, an MP, as saying.

"So the democratic government should not send her to India," he said.

He added that Acharya who was against Janaandolan-II could not represent the spirit of the government that was formed by the mandate of people's movement.

Other MPs said she was devoted for the sake of democracy and was against monarchy.

Ms Acharya told the parliamentary hearing committee: "I had advocated the principle of national reconciliation propounded by B P Koirala but I never gave any statement publicly in favour of monarchy." She said, I have spent my 45 years in the democratic movement and was exiled to India for eight years.

"I will be able to strengthen bilateral relations with India as I have close personal relations with Indian politicians." Other names for the ambassadors were cleared by the committee.

The government had recommended the names of 21 persons for ambassadorial posts.

These posts remained vacant following the call back of the royalists ambassadors appointed by King Gyanendra during his dictatorial regime.

UNI