Prime Minister of Nepal, K. P. Sharma Oli, spoke to Prime Minister Narendra Modi over telephone on Thursday and discussed the latest political initiatives of his government to diffuse the ongoing crisis between Kathmandu and the Madhesi agitators.
The Ministry of External Affairs informed that Mr. Modi conveyed his strong support to consensus-based solution to the crisis in Nepal, which began in September.
Mr. Oli’s government has been pushing for a series of crucial constitutional amendments to bring an end to the blockade and financial crisis that the Madhesi agitators have enforced citing discriminatory provisions in Nepal’s new constitution.
Though the phone call ostensibly was to exchange greetings for the new-year, Nepali sources said that Mr. Oli informed Mr. Modi about the amendment process that has begun. The year end conversation between the two leaders is significant as reports have suggested that Mr Oli is expected to visit Beijing in 2016, which will be his first foreign trip since taking over as the Prime Minister of Nepal in October.
Despite Mr. Oli’s year-end phone call, there has been little progress between two opposing sides in the Nepali crisis in recent weeks as the chief Madhesi agitators have rejected the amendments suggested by Mr. Oli.
