Visiting BJP leader meets Oli, Prachanda, other top Nepal politicians

Bharatiya Janata Party's Foreign Affairs Department chief Dr Vijay Chauthaiwale held talks with several top party leaders of Nepal on Monday.
Chauthaiwale, who arrived here on Sunday, had met Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and handed over a message from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

On his second day in Kathmandu, he met former Prime Minister and Nepal Communist Party—UML chief K.P. Sharma Oli, former Prime Minister and Nepal Communist Party-Maoist Centre President Pushpa Kamal Dahal aka Prachanda, and Mahantha Thakur, a senior Madhesi leader who had recently registered a new party at the Election Commission.

Chauthaiwale, who is on a four-day unofficial visit to Kathmandu, is the high-ranking Indian leader to arrive here since Deuba took over.

"In last 24 hours, I met four senior most leaders of Nepal, Sher Bahadurji, Oliji, Prachandaji and Mahantha Thakurji, representing the diverse ideological and political spectrum. Each one appreciated PM @narendramodi Ji's commitment to strong relations between India and Nepal," he said in a tweet, adding that each one is equally committed to the same goal and expressed desire to have continuous dialogue at party to party level.

"We had candid and open discussion on several issues," he said after his meeting with Prachanda. "We both have agreed to have continued dialogue to strengthen India-Nepal relations."

Nepali leaders said that the discussion figured around strengthening bilateral ties, improving the ties between the new government in Nepal and New Delhi, and possible areas of cooperation between Nepal and India in the future.-IANS