Nepal Maoists seeks Chinese help to ?buy? lawmakers?

The Maoists in Nepal are allegedly seeking Chinese help to get their chief Pushpa Kamal Dahal elected as the new prime minister of that country as well as ?neutralize? India?s ?influence? in the affairs of the neighbouring country.

A day before the sixth round of voting on Sunday to elect Nepal?s new prime minister, media reports on Saturday claimed that Maoist leader, Krishna Bahadur Mahara, was in contact with a Chinese person and seeking financial help to buy votes in favour of Dahal.

Two telephonic conversations had emerged on Friday evening in which Mahara asks the unidentified Chinese person for NR 500 million to bride 50 lawmakers to vote in favour of Dahal.

Mahara, who heads the foreign cell of the Maoists? party, purportedly tells the Chinese man in the tape that the Maoists have support of about 10-15 lawmakers but need to get 50 more in their fold to ensure Dahal?s victory.

Mahara also claims that the deal, which will be completed at Hong Kong, is being done with the full knowledge of Dahal, as per the tapes which was acquired as part of a sting operation by local media.

He also brings in India and tells the Chinese man that some lawmakers are controlled by the ?south? (India) and it is necessary to “neutralize” its influence.

The Maoist leader has, however, in a statement, dismissed the tape as ?fabricated, misleading and fictitious?.

Nepal is on the look for a new prime minister to replace Madhav Kumar Nepal, who stepped down in June.

But five rounds of voting till now has failed to throw up any winner among the two candidates?Dahal and Nepali Congress leader Ram Chandra Poudel ? as none managed to get the 301 votes needed for a win.

Maoists have 235 members in the Constituent Assembly while Nepali Congress has 114 representatives.