Says visit will celebrate and deepen time-honoured linkages
KATHMANDU, MAY 15
Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi issued departure statement a day before landing in Lumbini, the birth place of Gautam Budhha saying India's ties with Nepal are 'unparalleled.' The Indian PM is visiting Lumbini on the occasion of Buddha Purnima at the invitation of Nepal's Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba.
Modi said in his statement that he was looking forward to meeting his Nepali counterpart Deuba again after their 'productive' discussions during Deuba's visit to India last month. He stated, "We will continue to build on the shared understanding to expand cooperation in multiple areas, including in hydropower, development and connectivity."
He said India-Nepal ties were unparalleled. "The civilisational and people-to-people contacts between India and Nepal form the enduring edifice of our close relationship," Modi said in his statement. "My visit is intended to celebrate and further deepen these time-honoured linkages that have been fostered through centuries and recorded in our long history of intermingling," he said. He added that he was looking forward to offering prayers at the Mayadevi temple on the auspicious occasion of Buddha Jayanti.
"I am honoured to follow in the footsteps of millions of Indians to pay reverence at the sacred site of Lord Buddha's birth," Modi said.
PM Modi and PM Deuba will hold talks in Lumbini on further expanding cooperation in multi-ple areas including hydropower and connectivity.
"We will continue to build on our shared understanding to expand cooperation in multiple areas, including in hydropower, development and connectivity," he added.
Modi will also participate in the foundation laying ceremony for the construction of a centre for Buddhist culture and heritage in Lumbini.
Modi said he would also attend celebrations to mark the occasion of Buddha Jayanti, organised by the government of Nepal.
A version of this article appears in the print on May 16, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.
