Dahal-Modi handshake

Photo: RSS

India on Friday urged Nepal to 'accommodate aspirations of all sections of diverse (Nepali) society' to implement the new Constitution. This is a direct reference to the new constitution that was promulgated by the Constituent Assembly last year and led to the unrest in the Tarai and the five-month Indian blockade.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also added at a joint press conference with Nepal's Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal who is in New Delhi on a four-day state visit to India, that implementing the Constitution would only be possible through "inclusive dialogue".

"Under your wise leadership, I am confident that Nepal will be successful in implementing the Constitution," Modi said. "I wish you a success in this endeavour."

Modi also hailed Dahal as "the catalyst force for peace", and praised his role in strengthening democratic institutions in Nepal. In turn, Nepal's Prime Minister thanked his Indian counterpart for the "warm welcome and generous hospitality", and said the 'kind words ... mean a lot for me and my country".

Dahal told the press meet that his government has made "serious efforts to bring everyone on board, as we enter the phase of the Constitution implementation in the interest of all sections of the Nepali society".

This is Dahal's second state visit to India as Nepal's Prime Minister after his first visit after he was elected prime minister in 2008. After his return to Nepal then, he ignored India's advice and unsuccessfully tried to sack the Army Chief in a bid to capture state power. As a result, he resigned, his party split into multiple factions and it suffered a humiliating defeat in the second Constituent Assembly elections in 2013.

It took Dahal eight years to return to power, this time with support from India which urged the Maoists and the Nepali Congress to dump the UML-led government of Prime Minister K P Oli three months ago. Old was perceived as being supportive of Chinese overtures in Nepal following the blockade. He had also signed a trade and transit treaty with Beijing.

Oli had also invited Chinese President Xi Jinping to Nepal, and after Oli's ouster Xi's visit to Kathmandu is in limbo. Instead, Dahal has invited India's President Pranab Mukherjee to Nepal.

Political analysts say India is uncomfortable with China's growing influence in Nepal, and Modi is believed to have asked Dahal to keep a distance from Beijing during their one-on-one meeting before the joint press meet. At the press meet, Dahal assured Modi that "Nepal fully supports India's aspirations for a greater role in international institutions".