KATHMANDU, Nov 5: Nepali Congress (NC) President Sher Bahadur Deuba on Friday left for India on a four-day visit.

According to his personal secretary Keshav Raj Joshi, Deuba is visiting the southern neighbor to address the India Ideas Conclave to be held in the tourist city of Goa. Deuba is scheduled to give a keynote speech at the conclave organized by India Foundation, which is headed by Bharatiya Janata Party General Secretary Ram Madhav.

Deuba flew to Goa straight from New Delhi on Friday itself. Over 300 Indian policymakers, thinktank members and government officials are participating in the conclave.

According to Joshi, Deuba is scheduled to return to New Delhi on Saturday to deliver a lecture at the Jawaharlal University. He will be addressing the 12th Nehru Memorial Lecture scheduled for Sunday. 

Deuba will be delivering lecture on the theme "Democracy and Progress in the Asian Century". 

The vice-chancellor of the Jawaharlal University is also scheduled to confer an honorary doctorate degree on Deuba at the function.
 
Deuba is also scheduled to hold meetings with India Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, and other senior political leaders during his stay in New Delhi.

Although the visit is said to be of four days, this could be extended by a day, according to Deuba's Personal Secretary Joshi. Deuba, who is accompanied by his spouse Arzu, is set to spend one more day should they get the doctor's appointment for Arzu's follow-up treatment. “Deuba couple will return home either on Monday or Tuesday,” Joshi said.

A section of people have strongly criticized the visit of Deuba, terming it as 'ill-timed'. However, Personal Secretary Joshi defended it saying: “The visit was scheduled over a month ago.”

 
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