'Will visit India at appropriate time,' says Nepal PM Oli, denies rift with New Delhi

New Indian Express

7 days ago

KATHMANDU: Nepal Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has said that he will be visiting India and that ground work is underway on both sides for the visit. He, however, did not specify any time.
Oli's comment about his visit to India comes amid speculations by some sections of local media that he didn't receive any invitation from India for an official visit, indicating that his relations with India became sour.
"I will probably embark on a visit to India. My visit to India will take place after the two sides do necessary ground works," Oli said in an interview to a Nepalese Youtube channel Dishanirdesh TV late on Thursday.
It was in July last year that Oli, the chairperson of the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) - popular as the CPN-UML - assumed the office of Prime Minister for the fourth time.
He had chosen to visit China for his maiden foreign visit, breaking the tradition of visiting India as the first destination after assuming the post of prime minister.
Oli also revealed that he had extended an invitation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit Nepal.
"Prime Minister Modi will probably visit Nepal towards November," he said adding, "I have already sent the invitation to him."
"My India visit will take place at an appropriate time," he added.
Modi and Oli met on the sidelines of the 6th BIMSTEC Summit in Bangkok on April 4.
Oli also dismissed rumours that India doesn't like him. "India did nothing bad when I became the Prime Minister," he said.
In a different context, Oli pointed out, "We have very good relations with both India and China."
"India and China both are rising economic powers and it is good that our neighbours are moving in the path of development," he said, adding, Nepal may benefit from the spill over effect of their development.
"They (India and China) should focus attention on their development, but it is not good to be involved in cut-throat competition," Oli advised.
"There should be healthy competition between them. They should choose the path of cordial relations, but not a path that bears tension," he added.
Answering a question how it will affect Nepal if tension prevails between its northern and southern neighbours, Oli said, Nepal will also benefit if there are good relations between India and China.
"We can benefit from cooperation and collaboration with them and also we may benefit from their big market," he said.