Addressing the 21st Sapru House Lecture organized by the Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA) in New Delhi, PM Oli said, “I am convinced that whatever misunderstandings were there between India and Nepal do not persist anymore.” This, in his view, was the most important outcome of his visit, he said.
Oli, who is on a six-day state visit to India, stressed that he tried to clarify what Nepal did in the past few months to promulgate the new constitution and how Nepal sought to advance as a nation toward development and prosperity. He also said that he was able to address the apprehensions that surfaced among Indian politicians, in a frank and friendly atmosphere.
Addressing the allegation from certain quarters about the use of the 'card', he said, “I tried to clarify that Nepal does not play an India or China 'card'." He said he believed that there was no question of aligning with one over the other as that was not a viable policy option. "As a neighbor, we have and will continue to have good relations with both based on their own merits and one is not comparable to the other,” he said.
At the program attended by Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and members of the Nepalese delegation visiting India, PM Oli also said that Nepal was vying to benefit from the economic development that both the neighbors were excelling in, for the sake of a peaceful, stable and prosperous Nepal.
The PM also assured firmness in Nepal's commitment not to allow any hostile activities in Nepal directed against India and stressed the need for maintaining the sanctity of the no-man's-land so that the true spirit of an open border remained alive in practical terms and under all circumstances.
Stressing the complexities in the new constitution, the prime minister said the constitution has tried to address the diverse sentiments of the people of Nepal. “Personally speaking, I am also not fully satisfied with all the provisions of the constitution for some of my core issues have not found due space in the constitution the way I wanted,” he said.
But over 92 percent of the Constituent Assembly members enthusiastically participated during the voting and more than 85 percent of them voted in favor of the new constitution, he said adding that the provisions guaranteed human rights and fundamental freedoms without any discrimination. “The constitution was not promulgated at once but rather through minute deliberations and a democratic process,” PM Oli said.
He said, “In the evolutionary process of the constitution, appropriate adjustment can always be made as per the wish of the people.”
He also claimed that the constitutional provisions have not discriminated against any community in matters pertaining to citizenship, employment opportunities, inclusiveness, social justice, equality and democracy, among other things.
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