Kathmandu, September 20

CPN-UML today took serious exception to some points of the Nepal-India joint statement that was issued during Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal’s visit to India from September 15 to 18.

The UML Standing Committee meeting also criticised Prime Minister Dahal for dragging foreign concerns while taking up the issue of Nepal’s constitution during the bilateral meeting with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi and mentioning it in a joint communiqué issued later.

“We have expressed serious objection to the provision that the two countries hold similar views on major international issues,” read a statement issued by UML Secretary Yogesh Bhattarai.

The UML said the agreement to set up a joint oversight mechanism of senior officers of Nepali government and the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu to review progress on bilateral joint venture projects in Nepal was against diplomatic norms and etiquette.