Modi’s call to big three : New Delhi’s ”course correction”?   



Nepal Foreign Affairs (KATHMANDU, 22 December 2017) – Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s telephonic conversations to all three major leaders of Nepal on Thursday have given enough indications that India was reorienting its relations with Nepal.

 After two weeks of the successful conduction of Federal and Provincial Assembly elections in Nepal, Prime Minister Modi called big three and congratulated for holding successful elections.

India had been maintaining mum over the election’s result that clearly gave mandate to Nepal’s left alliance to conduct next government. At a time when the questions were begun to raise against the Modi government for not acknowledging the Nepali people’s mandate, Nepali leaders was rang.

 Modi called up his Nepali counterpart and Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba, CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli and CPN (Maoist Centre) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal.

During the conversation with Oli, who is tipped to be the Prime Minister, PM Modi lauded Nepal’s efforts for concluding the three-tier elections.

PM Modi also congratulated Oli for the huge success of left alliance in the recently held parliamentary and provincial elections.

According to a statement issued by UML on Thursday, PM Modi told Oli over telephone that the left bloc’s success will strengthen democracy in Nepal while expressing hope that the alliance’s victory will maintain political stability and economic development.

PM Modi has invited Oli to visit India soon after the formation of government in Nepal.

PM Modi also said that India was looking forward to coordinate with the new government of Nepal, the statement further read.

Oli, in response, thanked PM Modi for the good wishes and said that his focus now will be on political stability, institutionalise democracy, good governance and economic development of the country.

Oli also took the opportunity to invite Modi to visit Nepal.

Similarly, during his conversation with Dahal, Modi congratulated him for the success of left alliance [of UML and Maoist Centre] in the recently concluded elections, according to Dahal’s press coordinator Manahari Timilsina.

Last week, India had officially welcomed the conduction of Federal Parliament and Provincial Assembly elections held for the first time after the adoption of new constitution in Nepal.

At the backdrop of striving to block Oli coming back to power in Nepal, Modi’s congratulatory call has been seen as a reluctant acceptance of left victory.

 


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