Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has advised Foreign Minister Kamal Thapa to resolve Nepal’s internal matters by addressing the grievances in the Tarai.

In a meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Thapa in New Delhi on Monday, PM Modi said he was aware of the difficulties Nepal has been facing in the supply of essentials from India due to the obstruction on the border. He urged the government of Nepal to ensure security in the border region for removing the blockage.

Minister Thapa, who arrived in New Delhi on Saturday on a three-day official visit to draw the attention of the Indian government to the crisis in Nepal following the unofficial blockade by India, claimed that he was able to present the ground reality to Indian officials. He said he was assured that the import and supply of essentials would become smooth gradually.

Public life and movement in Nepal has been crippled due to the import disruption from India that has continued for about a month.

“There is no obstruction in the supply and export of goods from India to Nepal,” Thapa quoted Modi as telling him during the meeting. “Nepal’s government should take initiatives to clear the entry points. Then measures will be taken on the Indian side to send the supplies from open passes.”

During a bilateral meeting at the Indian PM’s official residence in 7 Race Course road, Nepali ambassador to India Deep Kumar Upadhyay and Indian ambassador to Nepal Ranjit Rae were also present.

Talking to the Post after the meeting, Minister Thapa said his visit was successful in removing mutual misunderstanding between the two countries. He said he got hints that Delhi would take initiatives immediately to ease the crisis caused by the obstruction of essential supplies.

“I believe my visit has put Nepal-India ties on the right track. I hope the situation

will ease soon,” Thapa told

the Post at Indira Gandhi Airport before returning to Kathmandu.

“The crisis we are facing

in Nepal is political. We assured India that we will move ahead to resolve our problem through talks and consensus. We have formed a high-level political committee to hold talks with the disgruntled groups and the dialogue process has begun,” DPM Thapa added.

Thapa, who met India’s External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Home Minister Rajnath Singh and India’s national security adviser Ajit Doval on Sunday, had received clear indications that relations between the two countries would not improve without addressing the problems in Madhes.

In the high-level meetings, concerns were raised about the delay in constitution amendment to address the grievances of the Madhesi/Tharu groups over the delineation of federal states.

Even after the meeting with the Indian PM, Nepali officials read indications that

the “unofficial blockade” would linger. Indian officials assured of increased

supplies from other entry points while expressing their reluctance to resume cargo movement via Raxaul-Birgunj. Nearly 70 percent of the fuel imported in Nepal comes via Raxaul.

Govt forms talks team

The government has formed a talks team headed by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Kamal Thapa to hold dialogue with the agitating Madhesi/Tharu groups and the Samyukta Loktantrik Madhesi Morcha.

The team formed by a Cabinet meeting on Monday also includes Law Minister Agni Kharel from the CPN-UML, General Adminis-tration Minister Rekha Sharma from the UCPN (Maoist) and minister without portfolio Ram Janam Chaudhary from the Madhesi Janadhikar Forum-Loktantrik.

A member from the opposition Nepali Congress would be included in the panel, Minister Chaudhary told the Post. “The meeting has authorised the prime minister to add a member [in the team] by holding talks with the Congress,” said Chaudhary. (PR)