Kathmandu, Mar 8
Terming the scrapping of the alliance between the Nepali Congress and the CPN (Maoist Centre) an “internal matter”, India has assured Nepal that its policy towards the Himalayan nation remains unchanged following the formation of a new government, the Nepalese media reported on Friday.
India’s ambassador to Nepal Naveen Srivastava on Thursday separately met Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Narayankaji Shrestha and Finance Minister Varshaman Pun and conveyed New Delhi’s stand on the latest political developments in the Himalayan nation, the reports said.
An Indian embassy spokesperson confirmed that the Indian envoy separately called on Foreign Minister Shrestha and Finance Minister Pun at their respective offices without any further comment.
However, media reports here said that during the meeting with Finance Minister Pun, Srivastava said a “change in the power equation in Nepal is the country’s internal affair”.
Both the ministers took the oath of office and secrecy on Wednesday, and Srivastava is the first foreign diplomat to meet and congratulate them.
Srivastava conveyed to the two ministers that India’s policy towards Nepal remains unchanged and considers the political changes in Nepal as its “internal matter”, amid speculation here that New Delhi was not happy with the dissolution of the alliance between the Nepali Congress and the CPN (Maoist Centre) and the formation of the new coalition between the CPN-UML and the Maoist Centre.
During the meeting with Shrestha, the ambassador discussed various topics of bilateral and mutual interest, further strengthening the ties between the two countries and the timely completion of development projects being run in Nepal with the assistance of India, among other topics.
Srivastava said India’s collaboration with Prime Minister Pushpakamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ over the past one-and-a-half years was satisfactory and expressed confidence that the same will continue in days ahead.
The bilateral relations will remain as good as in the past he said, adding the works relating to cooperation and investment will continue by maintaining mutual trust.
Nepal Prime Minister Prachanda dumped the Nepali Congress and forged a new alliance with the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) – the second-biggest party – led by former premier KP Sharma Oli on Monday.
Prachanda became the prime minister for the third term with the support of the Nepali Congress on December 25, 2022. His party is the third-largest group in the House of Representatives.
After breaking the alliance with the Nepali Congress – the largest party in the House of Representatives – Prachanda joined hands with Oli, who was regarded as Prachanda’s top critic.
Last year, the CPN-UML withdrew its support to the Prachanda-led government following a rift over backing the main opposition party’s candidate for the presidential poll.
