KATHMANDU: Nepal is in favour of maintaining equal relations between its two big neighbours India and China to protect the national welfare, Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal said in a programme in the capital on Wednesday.

PM Nepal also stressed on the dire need for a timely constitution to ensure rule of law and democratic rule in the country. Mentioning that the army integration process would be completed on time the PM urged everyone not to mislead by rumours as the Army Integration Special Committee was dedicated to accomplish the work in the given time frame. He also underscored the need for political consensus among the political parties for the welfare of the country.

Another speaker in the programme UML leader Bam Dev Gautam pointed out that the main opposition party UCPN-Maoist should not be ignored as it was the big force representing the CA. He said it was unfortunate that the government lacks UCPN-Maoist in the present coalition.