Main Focus of Nepal PM’s Visit to India Is to Build Trust

KP Sharma Oli is set to visit India for six days.

Nepal Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli said the main focus of his first visit to India, taking place in “complex and special circumstances”, is on building trust after differences cropped up in bilateral ties due to protests over the new Constitution. Addressing a press conference ahead of his six-day India visit, Oli said;

Our country will definitely benefit from my visit to India beginning Friday and we won’t lose from the visit. The main focus of the visit will be to create favourable situation and to build trust.

“To gain friendship is also a gain and we will get much more than that (from the visit),” the 63-year-old Communist leader said. He said he has no specific agenda for the talks as the visit is taking place in “complex and special circumstances”. “The main focus of the visit will be to create a favourable situation and build trust,” Oli asserted.

On Playing the ‘China Card’

Oli refuted allegations that he played the “China card” against India in the wake of the border blockade due to protests by Madhesis that caused a severe shortage of essential goods, including petrol and cooking gas, in the country.

It is not true that Nepal has played any card against India. I won’t play a card against any country. I don’t know how to play a card. There is no question of playing a card for one against the other. We want to develop friendly relations with both our great neighbours on the basis of mutual respect and benefit.

Prime Minister Oli

Earlier some reports had said that Oli could visit China before India due to hiccups in Indo-Nepal ties over the Madhesi issue. Amid strain in Indo-Nepal ties, China was seen by analysts as getting closer to Nepal especially by providing essential goods to the crisis-hit nation. Oli has also said that he will visit China within a month after his India trip as part of his government’s policy to enhance cooperation with immediate neighbours.

India, Nepal to Clear Air

Among others, two MoUs – one on the $1 billion line of credit that India committed to Nepal during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit and another on $1 billion that India pledged during External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj’s trip for the country’s post-earthquake reconstruction – will be signed during Oli’s visit, the sources said.

Oli responded to a question posed at the conference saying India has already welcomed the amendments made in their Constitution – which was promulgated on 20 September last year – by saying that it was a positive development.

We have followed all due processes while promulgating the Constitution and the document was endorsed with overwhelming majority votes in the Constituent Assembly. We need to clear some misunderstandings in our relations and the process of clearing misunderstanding has already begun. 

Sources

Madhesi Protestors

Oli’s visit comes after a period of strain in ties over the protests by Madhesis, mostly of Indian-origin. Nepal alleged that the blockade in its southern border with India was imposed by Indian authorities as they were backing the agitation led by Madhesis, a charge India vehemently denied.

The Madhesis seek proportional representation in government jobs and restoration of rights granted to them in the interim constitution of 2007 which the New Charter has snatched away.

The United Democratic Madhesi Front, the four-party alliance, officially announced the withdrawal of their protests including the border blockade earlier this month.

Earlier some reports had said that Oli could visit China before India due to hiccups in Indo-Nepal ties over the Madhesi issue.

(With inputs from agencies.)