CPN (Maoist Centre) Chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ has said that he is going for a visit to the neighbouring friendly country India keeping Nepal and the Nepali people in the centre. Addressing a press meet organised at the Tribhuvan International Airport before leaving for India today, he said a common understanding would be forged during his India visit on several topics that remain unresolved since history and it would be focused on resolving the problems.
The Maoist Centre Chair said that although this visit might seem a sudden visit, preparations for it were going on since the last two months. “Although looking like sudden when it (the visit to India) was flashed, it is not like that. I had talked about it within the party as well. This is a visit that was set two months back,” he explained. Chair Dahal informed that the invitation for the visit from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had been received through the then Ambassador of India to Nepal, Vinaya Mohan Kwatra.
He painted the visit as a goodwill visit, stating that he was visiting India at the invitation of the BJP president JP Nadda. According to him, this visit will also be centred on expanding ties with the India’s ruling party, BJP, and the Indian people. Former Prime Minister Dahal said he would hold talks with the Indian side by keeping the various aspects of Nepal-India relations at the centre.
He further said that discussions would be held on matters like Nepal’s overall development, bilateral ties, and the growing trade deficit, issues remaining from history and resolving problems seen at the border through diplomatic dialogue, during the various bilateral and multi-lateral meetings in course of the visit. Leader Dahal also shared that views would be exchanged on different aspects on matters of economic and mutual interest and other topics of concern.
He clarified that there was no any connection between the recent visit to Nepal by the Communist Party of China (CPC), foreign department chief and his current visit to India. “There is no interconnection in this. There is no meaning harbouring unnecessary confusion about it,” he asserted.Chair Dahal shared that this visit has been taken as the expansion of the relations between BJP and his party. He expressed the belief that the visit from the position of top leader of the major partner of incumbent coalition government would create further positive environment in the relations between the two countries.
Chair Dahal said he reached the official residence of the Prime Minister at Baluwatar today itself and held discussion with Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba as well informed the Foreign Ministry about his India visit. The CPN (Maoist Centre) Chairperson is scheduled to meet with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other government officers during his stay in India. Saying the visit would play significant role for the country and current alliance, he mentioned that he has taken the visit in an enthusiastic manner.
On the occasion, he shared that he is embarking on a visit to China in near future. He recalled that a significant meeting was held with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian PM Modi on the issue of tripartite partnership from the position of the Prime Minister during the BRICS Summit held in Goa in October 2016.
Chair Dahal further said that discussion would be held on the issue that it would be relief to Nepal if it gets to import fuel from Russia at a cheap price as India has been importing the same from Russia at a cheaper rate. Senior leader Narayankaji Shrestha and Janardan Sharma, Matrika Prasad Yadav, Jhakku Prasad Subedi, among other leaders were present at Tribhuvan International Airport to bid farewell to Chair Dahal. Dahal will return home on July 17.
