Kathmandu, February 25

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli today told top leaders of the coalition that he requested his Indian counterpart to deal with issues of Nepal directly through the government instead of individuals.

According to PM Oli’s secretariat, PM Oli briefed the leaders on his six-day India visit at his official residence in Baluwatar.

Claiming that his visit was very successful, PM Oli said he requested India to maintain a direct relation with the government.

He told leaders that he clarified to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi that Nepal’s constitution was approved by 90 per cent of the Constituent Assembly members. “In response, PM Modi said India just wanted Nepali people to remain united,” PM Oli told the leaders during the briefing.

However, some leaders participating in the meeting claimed that PM failed to convince them that his visit helped remove the misunderstandings, saying India was still hesitant to welcome Nepal’s constitution.

Chairman of Nepal Workers and Peasants Party Narayan Man Bijukchhe said he told the PM that India’s repeated requests to resolve the Madhes issue indicated that India still has reservations over the constitution.

“PM Oli said the government should gradually resolve the issues and prepare to import 33 per cent goods from China as well if things didn’t improve as expected,” said Bijukchhe.

PM Oli said he had taken the agreement with India to import goods directly from Bangladesh as the biggest achievement of his visit. Lauding the Indian people’s warm response to Nepal he said Indian leaders and people had warmly welcomed him at different places.

PM also clarified the leaders that the Indian side had not raised the issue of reinstating ‘Hindu state’ as reported by a section of the media.

Unified CPN-Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal said PM Oli’s India visit remained successful because he boldly raised Nepal’s issues with India.

Leaders attending the meeting said they believed that the PM’s visit had further strengthened Nepal-India relationship.

CPN-UML leaders Jhalanath Khanal and Bamdev Gautam, MJF-Democratic Chairman and DPM Bijay Kumar Gachhadar, CPN-ML General Secretary and DPM CP Mainali, RPP leader Lokendra Bahadur Chand, Chairman of Rastriya Janamorcha and DPM Chitra Bahadur KC were also present at the meeting.