People living on both sides of the border gathered at no-man´s-land on the border, shook hands, exchanged bouquets of flowers and said they have not only renewed their friendship but also strengthened it. [break]
The relationship between them had soured following the recent anti-Indian campaign launched by the Maoist party. Objectionable to the Indian side were posters pasted up by the former rebels placing the Indian flag in a shoe. The situation at the border became volatile after Indians demonstrated against the posters and demanded an apology from the Maoists. The number of Nepalis visiting Jogbani for shopping had decreased following the incident.
"The Maoist poster sparked some disputes, but it did not dismantle our hearty relationship," said Constituent Assembly member Moti Dugad, who had taken initiative for the rally. "It would be against the interests of people on both sides if relations between them soured," he said.
The participants argued that the relationship between the two countries at the people´s level should not be strained by one political party´s action and pledged to jointly resist such moves.
A former parliamentarian from Arariya constituency in India, Sukdev Paswan, also participated in the program and stressed the need for people-to-people relations.
"Ours is not a relationship written on paper. There is a familial relationship between us," said Paswan, "We will foil any attempt to disrupt this relationship."
Hundreds of people participated in the rally and chanted slogans saying, "Long Live the Nepal-India relationship".
"The Maoist posters soured relations, but we renewed and strengthened them," said Pitambar Dahal, one of the organizers of the event, "You cannot strengthen your nationality by humiliating another country," he said.
Around 1,000 Nepalis visit the border town every day for shopping. So local shopkeepers had taken the initiative for the goodwill rally to allay fears among Nepalis visiting Jogbani for their shopping.
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