Two weeks after the five-month Indian blockade against Nepal was lifted, Prime Minister KP Oli left for a six-day India visit on Friday.
PM Oli, accompanied by his wife Radhika Shakya, left Kathmandu by a Nepal Airlines plane at 3:29 pm leading a 46-member team. He will attend an event organised by the Nepali Embassy in New Delhi to mark the 66th National Democracy Day on Friday evening.
Oli will stay at Rashtrapati Bhawan as the state guest and will meet Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday. He said his visit would help restore Nepal-India relations strained by the five-month blockade.
India had imposed a blockade on Nepal in September of last year, putting pressure on the Oli government to address Madhesi demands. Oli wanted to reach a deal with Madhesi parties before his visit, but his last-ditch efforts have failed.
After talks failed, the government formed a committee to review federal boundaries without participation of Madhesi parties. Hours before Oli flew to Delhi, Madhesi parties issued a press statement rejecting the mechanism.