Kathmandu. January 2
Indian politician DP Tripathi, considered long-time Nepal observers south of the border, passed away at the age of 67.
According to media reports, Tripathi, who served as then Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’s special envoy to Nepal during the first People’s Movement, passed away in New Delhi, local media reports said. Former Rajya Sabha member Tripathi started his political career in student politics and later joined the Indian National Congress. He was considered a key ally of Rajiv Gandhi.
According to The Hindustan Times, each time Nepali political leaders visited Delhi, his house was their first port of call. In an interview with the Kathmandu Post in 2012, Tripathi said that it was at his house that NCP chief Prachanda was introduced to CPM leader Sitaram Yechury and other Indian politicians, who played a role in the 12-point agreement between the Seven Party Alliance and the then Maoist rebels,
Tripathi also protested the Indian blockade on Nepal following the promulgation of the new constitution in Nepal. As a special envoy of Rajiv Gandhi, Tripathi expressed solidarity with the democratic movement in Nepal in 1990, which ultimately led to the downfall of the Panchayat.
