Gyanendra: Fuming

New Delhi, April 5: A former general of the Royal Nepal Army, who is also the local Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader, has called for the expulsion of the Indian ambassador, prompting Delhi to gauge whether it was a stray comment or he was being egged on by someone close to the palace.

Bharat Keshar Simha, an honorary aide de camp to King Gyanendra, demanded ambassador Shiv Shankar Mukherjee?s expulsion for ?instigating? politicians against the monarch.

In an interview to a vernacular weekly, Simha said there were reports that the ambassador hosted a dinner party for political leaders and allegedly offered his help to fight against the king. ?He has no right to gather political leaders,? Simha said.

If the reports are true, Mukherjee should be expelled from the country, he added.

Officially, India has decided to dismiss the report and underplay Simha?s importance. ?I am not going to react to stray comments by unidentified aides,? foreign ministry spokesperson Navtej Sarna said.

The Indian embassy in Nepal also echoed him, saying Simha is a political ?non-entity? and should not be taken seriously.

But sources in the Indian establishment said they were not yet sure whether Simha, who is close to the palace, was trying to ingratiate himself with the king with anti-India comments or was being used as a ?proxy? by other bigger players in Kathmandu.

Relations between India and Nepal have come under strain since February 1 when Gyanendra dismissed the Sher Bahadur Deuba government and declared emergency.

The monarch has refused to meet the Indian ambassador despite a request pending for over a month. This is being seen as an attempt to express his anger at India?s public stand that democracy should be restored.

India had also refused to commit future arms supplies to the kingdom, which is caught in a war with Maoists who are now enforcing an 11-day strike in Nepal.

The latest sticking point has been Delhi?s refusal to use its influence to water down a possible anti-Nepal resolution at the UN Human Rights Commission that is now in session in Geneva.