Two top leaders of Nepali Congress – Bimalendra Nidhi and Sujata Koirala – are currently in India on separate visits, and for different purposes.
The two have met political leaders as well as others from different fields during their stay in India.
Koirala, NC central member and also a former foreign minister, met with India’s Defense Minister and leader of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Rajnath Singh on Thursday. Though Koirala released photos of the meeting, she has not disclosed anything else about the meeting.
Koirala had originally gone to India to attend a film-related event.
Meanwhile, Nidhi has been in India for some time now.
The former NC vice-president met with Vijay Chauthaiwale, chief of BJP’s Foreign Affairs Department, at BJP’s office in New Delhi on Wednesday.
During the meeting that lasted nearly an hour, Nidhi and Chauthaiwale held talks on further strengthening relations between the two neighboring countries as well as between NC and BJP in coming days.
Nidhi proposed installing a bow made in Nepal at the Ram Mandir under construction in Ayodhya. He expressed belief that it would further strengthen the age-old ties between the two countries in all sectors in the long term.
Chauthaiwale also said that installing the bow at Ram Mandir would be an important work and expressed belief that it would further strengthen relations between the two neighbors.
The same day, Nidhi met with India’s Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari at the latter's residence.
During the meeting, the two leaders discussed Nepal’s physical infrastructure development. Nidhi requested that the four-lane Ayodhya-Bhittamod road being built by the Indian government be extended to Nepal’s Jatahi border via Girijasthan in Madhubani district of India.
Gadkari then immediately directed the officials concerned to include extension of the road to Jatahi border in the ministry’s programs. The six-lane Jatahi-Janakpur-Dhalkebar road was completed during Nidhi's tenure as physical infrastructure minister.
Nidhi also requested Gadkari to build an alternative international trade route from Kolkata port to Jatahi via Darbhanga.
Nidhi also met with India’s Hydropower Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on Wednesday. The two discussed roads, water resources, energy development, flood management and other issues related to both countries during the meeting.
Nepal’s ambassador to India Shankar Sharma was also present during Nidhi’s meeting with ministers Gadkari and Shekhawat. During the meetings, Ambassador Sharma raised the issue of providing line of credit and technical assistance to Nepal in physical infrastructure development.
