Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal said on Saturday that he was hopeful that his India visit would help boost ties between the two countries.

PM Dahal is set to embark on a visit to India from September 15.

Addressing an interaction on Indo-Nepal relations and the prime minister’s visit to India, organised by Nepal Institute of International Relations, Dahal said he would like to urge all to let him “take risk as a leader”.

“A leader should have the privilege to take risk. If you say, I won’t go [to India],” Dahal said, adding that no controversial deals will be signed during the visit. “I urge all the people in the country not to dictate me and let me take risk in favour of our national interest.”

He also accused the erstwhile KP Sharma Oli-led government of creating a rift between people from the hills and the Madhes region. “The country cannot become prosperous without strengthening national unity,” he said.

Dahal as the current prime minister has three major tasks cut out for him.

Besides concluding the remaining tasks of the peace process and implementing the constitution, improving relations with India is one of the most important tasks he has in front of him.

Dahal has long been floating the policy of tripartite cooperation among the three countries—China-Nepal-India—and he believes it could fulfill the Nepali people’s aspirations of change and prosperity. He is likely to broach this idea during his meetings in India. Maoists Centre leader Narayan Kaji Shrestha and Nepali Congress leader Sujata Koirala, both former foreign ministers, advised PM Dahal not to focus on new projects.

PM Dahal should rather urge India to complete the previously signed projects, including Hulaki Road, advised Shrestha and Koirala.