India’s policy towards Nepal remains unchanged, assures envoy after meeting top new ministers

Kathmandu: India has assured Nepal that its policy towards the Himalayan nation remains unchanged following the scrapping of the alliance between the Nepali Congress and the CPN (Maoist Centre) and the formation of a new government, the Nepalese media reported on Friday.

This assurance was conveyed by India’s Ambassador to Nepal, Naveen Srivastava who made separate courtesy calls on Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Narayan Kaji Shrestha and Finance Minister Barsha Man Pun on Thursday, The Kathmandu Post newspaper reported.

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”, the report said, 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 at the Nepal Ministry of Foreign Affairs, they discussed various topics of bilateral and mutual interest, said Ministry spokesperson Amrit Bahadur Rai.

During the meeting, Shrestha and the Indian ambassador discussed 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, the Himalayan Times newspaper quoted Rai as saying.

Both the ministers took the oath of office and secrecy on Wednesday, and Srivastava is the first foreign diplomat to meet and congratulate them, the report said.

Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal '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.