Kathmandu, Aug 14 - He created a storm by choosing to visit China immediately after assuming office last year as republic Nepal's first prime minister.

Now Maoist supremo and former prime minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda is poised to create yet another controversy by heading for Moscow.

Prachanda, who left Nepal for London last Saturday in the midst of a new protest movement launched by his party, will reach the Russian capital either Friday or Saturday, his aides in Kathmandu said.

It was not known immediately what the former revolutionary would be doing in Moscow. A Nepali weekly Friday suggested that he could be trying to gather funds from non-resident Nepalis for his party.

The Maoists, though the largest party in parliament after a historic election last year, are now facing difficulties.

Their bid to dislodge the current 22-party alliance government of Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal and form a new one under their own leadership has failed despite repeated sieges on parliament.