The Nudge That Spilt The Spleen

Maoists believe Yadav’s audacity sprang from New Delhi’s tacit support. Prachanda said as much: "We will not bow before any outside force. What the president did was not only unconstitutional, but a mockery of the principle of civilian supremacy." His trusted lieutenant, Dr Baburam Bhattarai, didn’t shy away from naming the outside force: "It all happened because of India’s blatant interference."

Overnight, the country that had played a crucial role in bringing the Maoists closer to pro-democracy parties through a 12-point agreement was cast as a villain. And the villain was given the face of Indian ambassador Rakesh Sood, who had been persistently telling Prachanda to not sack Katawal—the man who aborted the CPN-M’s plan to induct 19,000-odd former Maoist combatants into the army. Katawal had repeatedly stressed that the army didn’t favour politically indoctrinated soldiers nor wanted to dilute prescribed qualifications for recruiting Maoist combatants.