Prachanda says Pashupatinath move not targeted at Indians

Shirish B Pradhan

Kathmandu, Jan 4 (PTI) Fissures seemed to be appearing in
Nepal's ruling coalition Sunday with a key ally flaying
Maoists for trying to "capture" Pashupatinath temple, but the
premier sought to calm tempers saying appointment of Nepalese
priests in place of Indians was being "pointlessly
politicised".

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' said he did
not intend to displace the South Indian 'Bhatta' brahmins, who
had overseen rituals at the temple for the past 300 years.

The appointment of Nepalese priests in place of Indians
was a "mere coincidence" and not intended to oust the former,
he told reporters here.

The former guerrilla leader's comments came a day after
Nepal's dethroned King Gyanendra, who was once seen as the
incarnation of Lord Vishnu, appealed to the people not to
"politicise" the dispute at the temple, which was stormed by
Maoist cadres to install local priests defying a court order.

However, another Maoist minister seemed to be taking a
tougher stand when he said the government would allow Nepalese
priests to conduct worship despite a stay by Supreme Court.

Gopal Kirati, Minister for Culture and State
Restructuring, said he would not re-instate the sacked Indian
priests and file a petition against the interim order.

He also said he would launch a three-month long awareness
campaign here to press for reforms in the temple management
and hold rallies in support for the move, which had sparked
protests in the country as well as in India.

Upendra Yadav, the Foreign Minister and leader of a party
representing Indian-origin Madhesi people, Sunday launched a
scathing attack on Maoists, saying they were trying to
"capture" Nepal's holiest Hindu shrine.

Another Indian priest, Ganesh Bhat, quit Sunday as
Maoists forcibly escorted two more Nepalese Brahmins into the
temple to assist the new priests.

The local 'Bhandaris', entrusted with arranging materials
for prayers and protecting valuable assets of the temple for
centuries, said they will launch a struggle to "save the
temple from the Maoist intrusion".

The Bhandaris have formed a 32-member struggle committee
and set two pre-conditions for dialogue -- resumption of
worship by the Indian priests and guarantee of assets of the
temple's main store house, where locks were broken.

With the row hotting up, triggering reactions from
saffron parties like the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) in India
too, Prachanda said he approved the appointments since the
'mul bhatta' (head priest) Mahabaleshwor, who had quit three
and a half months earlier, refused to withdraw his
resignation.

The member secretary of the Pashupati Area Development
Trust had been asked to recommend names for the vacant posts
and the appointments were done accordingly, he said claiming
that no procedures were violated, Nepalese media reported.

Upendra Yadav, the leader of key coalition partner
Madhesi Peoples Right Forum, said the storming of the shrine
by Maoist cadres was an affront to "Hindu sentiments".

"This is an anti-religious mob and they are trying to
capture the Pashupatinath temple to disturb the religious
activities there", he told an Indian TV channel.

The Maoists maintain that the two Indian priests who had
quit earlier refused to withdraw their resignation even after
being approached by PADT officials. But Narottam Vaidya, an
former member of the PADT, said they were never asked to
reconsider their decision.

Hindu groups here claim that the priests resigned under
the pressure of the Maoist cadres.

Meanwhile, the daily pooja, which was halted for the past
three days at the shrine, has resumed from today. All four
gates of Pashupatinath were opened today. PTI SBP
DEP