India has no intentions of sending army to Kathmandu, says Menon

India today categorically rejected suggestions made by a retired Major General of the Indian Army on BBC Nepali Service radio that New Delhi might send troops to Kathmandu in case Maoists seize power there.

New Delhi, Oct 9 :India today categorically rejected suggestions made by a retired Major General of the Indian Army on BBC Nepali Service radio that New Delhi might send troops to Kathmandu in case Maoists seize power there.

Stating that India has no such intentions, Indian Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon today said, "He (Retired Major General Ashok Mehta) in any shape does not represent the Government of India's stand."

Menon reiterated India's stated position on Nepal that the common goal must remain to enable the people of Nepal to choose their own future and the manner of their governance.

On Wednesday, former Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran will leave for Kathmandu, a day ahead of the special interim session of Nepalese Parliament, and will meet leaders of the entire political spectrum, including the Maoists.

However, he will not meet Nepalese king, King Gyanendra.

Saran is expected to convey New Delhi's sentiment on the ongoing political crisis in the Himalayan nation and its disappointment over the indefinite postponement of the elections to the Constituent Assembly.

On October 5, India expressed its disappointment over it and said: "The repeated postponement of elections erodes credibility and affects the process of democratic transformation and legitimisation in Nepal."

The polls for the Constituent Assembly, earlier scheduled for November 22, were postponed after Maoists pulled out from the caretaker coalition Government.

ANI