Nepal Deputy PM says visit to India ‘successful’

Kathmandu, Aug 23 (IANS) Nepal's Deputy Prime Minister Bimalendra Nidhi, who was on a visit to India as a Special Envoy of Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal "Prachanda", on Tuesday described his trip as "successful".

Talking to the media about his engagements in New Delhi, the Nepali Congress leader said his visit succeeded in improving Nepal-India ties that had strained recently, The Himalayan Times reported.

Nidhi said the Indian side received him with due respect and that three high-profile visits -- President Pranab Mukherjee's to Nepal and Prachanda as well as Nepali President Bidya Devi Bhandari's India visit -- had been confirmed.

Nidhi told India about the Nepali government's top priorities including implementation of the Constitution, which was promulgated in September last year.

In New Delhi, Nidhi met Indian leaders including Mukherjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He invited both of them to visit Nepal.

A second-man in the Maoist-led coalition government, Nidhi also met Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Bharatiya Janata Party president Amit Shah.