central region.
Talking to media at Tribhuvan International Airport on Monday after returning from his three-day India visit, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Kamal Thapa said that Indian leaders and officials have however assured that they will help to reroute supplies of petroleum products and other essential goods through other customs points if there is obstruction at any one of the border points.
Earlier, the agitating Madhes-based parties had been creating obstructions at several points along the Nepal-India border as part of their protests. But lately, they have concentrated all their protests at Birgunj border point, which has seriously crippled normal life in the capital and the entire central region.
Thapa said the Indian side assured him that the unhindered customs points can be utilized for the inflow of supplies at the maximum level possible and that the Indian government would not create any kind of obstructions at those points.
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“They (Indian leaders and officials) also said that they would help with the regular supply of petroleum products from the unhindered border points after I briefed them about the hardship that the general public has been facing. I take this positively,” said Thapa. He visited India with a nine-member delegation to sort out the obstruction of petroleum products and other essential goods coming to Nepal via the India-Nepal border points.
During his visit, Deputy Prime Minister Thapa met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Minister for External Affairs Sushma Swaraj, Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar and India’s National Security Advisor, Ajit Doval.
He said that the government will hold talks with its Indian counterpart in several steps to ensure supplies from all the border points of the country.
He further said that the Indian side has suggested to Nepal’s major political parties to make the new constitution acceptable to all sides in the country and to take the agitating groups into confidence. This was the only way to resolve the ongoing crisis in Nepal.
“I informed them that our prime minister has invited the agitating parties for talks and that the Nepal government is shortly going to form a dialogue committee for talks with them,” he added. Asked about the Indian leaders’ response on Nepal’s new constitution, Thapa said the Indian side gave no prescription as to what type of constitution Nepal should or shouldn’t have. “They just stressed on taking all sides into confidence,” he quipped.
He said that his visit has created a favorable environment for Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli’s visit to India. “The date for the prime minister’s visit will be fixed soon after discussions between both sides,” he further added. Thapa’s visit to India was his first foreign trip after assuming office as foreign minister.
