The government, which found itself in an awkward situation after India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his desire to address public gatherings during his upcoming SAARC Summit visit here, has come around to accepting it, officials said.
“He is our honoured guest and the government will make all the necessary preparations for the civic receptions of Mr. Modi in Janakpur and Lumbini,” Dinesh Bhattarai, Foreign Policy Advisor of Prime Minister Sushil Koirala, told The Hindu . However, he said he was unaware of the exact nature of Indian request regarding the “public speech”.
A call to the Indian Embassy spokesperson was not answered. The question is not just about the security for Mr. Modi. An MP from the Opposition, the UCPN (Maoist), demanded the government’s response in Parliament on Sunday. “We want to know the government’s position on reports about Mr. Modi’s request to address public gatherings in some places in Nepal and distribute bicycles in Janakpur,” said Shakti Basnet, the Maoist lawmaker. “Is it permissible in a sovereign country?”
Mr. Bhattarai pointed out that foreign dignitaries speaking during civic receptions was not unprecedented in Nepal.
Mr. Modi is scheduled to visit the holy sites of Lumbini, Janakpur and Muktinath during his Nepal visit for the 18th SAARC Summit here. According to reports, he would visit the Janaki Temple in Janakpur on November 25 via the land route. From there, he would leave for Kathmandu for the summit-level meetings slated for November 26 and 27.
After the summit talks, Mr. Modi is set to visit Muktinath, a holy site for Hindus and Buddhists in Mustang district. Khaganath Adhikari, spokesperson at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said the public programmes to be addressed by Mr. Modi would be turned into a Nepali affair by having some senior Cabinet ministers and local leaders speak ahead of Mr. Modi, Ekantipur.com reported.
