Nepal unrest: Akhilesh says peace prevailing in neighbouring countries should be Centre's first priority

Lucknow, Sep 12 (PTI) Amid the ongoing unrest in Nepal, former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav on Friday said that peace prevailing in the neighbouring countries should be the Centre's first priority.

After meeting a delegation from the Sikh community at the party office in Lucknow, Samajwadi Party chief Yadav was asked if a similar situation like Nepal may unfold in India.

"The first priority of the government should be that peace prevails in our neighbouring countries and around our borders. But we have seen how the Centre has failed many times in its foreign policy," Yadav said.

"What has happened in Nepal's internal politics? A lot of stories are coming up because there are no boundaries in today's world of social media.

"But we cannot make a decision by looking at just one aspect. There were many other questions there -- about poverty, unemployment, inflation... The generation that is being talked about was also propagating some issues on social media," Yadav added.

The former chief minister, who sported a red turban during his meeting with the Sikh delegation, said people who are sitting at the programme venue want the country to be prosperous.

Yadav also said the person who made him wear the turban told him that a red turban is worn at times of happiness.

At least 51 people, including an Indian national, died in the recent 'Gen Z' protest that erupted across Nepal against corruption and a ban on social media sites, police said in Kathmandu on Friday.

As many as 19 people, mostly students, were killed when police opened fire at the Parliament building in Kathmandu when the protesters under the banner of Gen Z launched their agitation on Monday.

Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli quit on Tuesday, shortly after hundreds of agitators entered his office demanding his resignation over the deaths during Monday’s protest.

The ban on social media was lifted Monday night.

The violence continued even after Oli's resignation, with protesters setting fire to the Parliament, the President's office, the prime minister's residence, government buildings, party offices and homes of senior leaders. PTI NAV SHS ARI