Narendra Modi asks Nepal PM Prachanda to include all communities while implementing Constitution

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday asked his Nepal counterpart Pushpa Kamal Dahal to include all communities while implementing his country’s Constitution. Dahal, popularly known as Prachanda, is in the national Capital for four days to discuss bilateral relations with India.

Modi said, “I am confident that under your leadership Nepal will be successful in implementing the Constitution through inclusive dialogue accommodating aspirations of all sections of the diverse society.” To this, Prachanda assured Modi that his government will try to hold “inclusive talks” and accommodate the aspirations of every community, reported The Indian Express. He said, “You are aware that my government has made serious efforts to bring everyone on board as we enter the phase of implementation.”

The implementation of the Constitution has been a huge task for Nepal in the backdrop of the diverse demands from different communities. Protests by the Madhesi community, after Nepal introduced its new Constitution in 2015, led to blockades that crippled the country. The Madhesis, largely of Indian origin, said the Constitution divided their ancestral homeland and wanted the government to demarcate their province and fix electoral constituencies on the basis of population and proportional representation. In February, they called off a five-month long blockade along the Indo-Nepal border.

India and Nepal also signed three agreements to improve trade and transit issues. While India granted a sum of $750 million (Rs 4,989 crore approximately) for reconstruction work in Nepal, which was devastated by an earthquake in 2015, the neighbouring countries also decided to improve cooperation in defence and security sectors. Modi said, “Our security interests are interlinked.” They agreed that they will "not allow" their territory to be used against each other, reported The Times of India.

Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar told The Indian Express that the meeting was productive. He summed up that the bottomline of the conversation was “what we can do together”.