Top government officials, including those close to the prime minister, said that Oli was displeased as there has been no significant movement toward easing the flow of supplies through the Birgunj-Raxaul checkpoint through which over 70 percent of the imports from India enters Nepal.
Officials said that there was an understanding between the two sides [Nepal and India] that the blockade and other hindrances at the border points would be ended immediately after the amendment of the constitution.
Following the promulgation of the constitution, Prime Minister Oli and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modhi have held telephone conversations at least twice and the deputy prime minister and minister for foreign affairs has twice visited India.
Parliament on Saturday amended two important constitutional provisions to ensure proportional inclusive representation of various groups in state bodies. The amendments also included a provision that states that population shall be the major basis and geography the secondary basis for the delineation of electoral constituencies. These amendments were made as demanded by the agitating Madhesi parties.
Sources said the Indian side had suggested to the government to amend the new constitution with the consent of the disgruntled political parties as far as possible.
They said the Indian side had also suggested to Nepal to even amend the constitution unilaterally if the Madhesi parties remained rigid. "The amendment has incorporated the demands of the Madhesi parties as far as possible," said a highly-placed source. But Nepali officials were taken by surprise while first going through India's official statement issued after the amendment.
The Indian government said that it regarded the two amendments passed by Nepal's parliament as positive developments and hoped that other outstanding issues would be similarly addressed in a constructive spirit.
Officials at the prime minister's office found a lack of coherence in India's position with regard to Nepal's new constitution and its amendment process.
"The Indian government merely took notice when Nepal promulgated the new constitution, which was a historic achievement. And they welcomed a cabinet decision to move forward the constitution amendment process, which was just a procedural decision," said the highly-placed government source. "But when parliament amended the constitution they took it only as a positive development, that too further reminding [us] that there were other outstanding issues as well."
Prime Minister's Chief Advisor, Bishnu Rimal, said they are displeased as there is no coherence in the three statements issued by India concerning Nepal's new constitution and its amendment process.
Prime Minister Oli, during an interaction with newspaper editors at his official residence at Baluwatar on Tuesday, said that he trusts a friend's commitments and now he is waiting for coherence between the friend's words and the present realities relevant to that.
He also told the senior journalists that he would not visit India without first seeing an end to the unofficial blockade.
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