Nepal PM Pushpakamal Dahal arrives in MP for two-day state visit

Indore: Nepal Prime Minister Pushpakamal Dahal "Prachanda" arrived in Madhya Pradesh on Friday as part of his two-day visit to the state.

Prachanda and his delegation arrived at the Indore airport, where they were given a warm welcome by state Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and his cabinet colleagues Tulsiram Silawat, Usha Thakur and Indore BJP MP Shankar Lalwani.

Traditional dance was performed at the airport by a troupe in honour of the guests from Nepal. Members of the local Nepalese community raised the "Jai Mahakali" slogans there to welcome them.

The Nepal PM and CM Chouhan had a brief interaction at the airport.

Prachanda is scheduled to visit the famous Mahakaleshwar temple, one of the 12 Jyotirlings, in Ujjain.

After the temple visit, he will return to Indore, where he will hold a meeting with Madhya Pradesh Governor Mangubhai Patel around 4 pm, officials have said.

After the meeting, he will visit a solid waste management plant run by the Indore Municipal Corporation, the officials said.

CM Chouhan will host a dinner in honour of Prachanda in Indore at 7.30 pm, they added.

On Saturday, the Nepalese PM will visit the Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and Infosys campuses in an IT Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Indore, and leave for New Delhi later in the day, according to them.

Prachanda, along with a high-level delegation, arrived in India on Wednesday afternoon on a four-day official visit.

It is the first bilateral trip abroad by the 68-year-old Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (CPN-Maoist) leader after he assumed the top office in December 2022.

On Thursday, the Nepal PM met his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi in New Delhi.

Both the leaders vowed to resolve the vexed boundary dispute under the spirit of friendship even as the two sides signed several major pacts including one on increasing New Delhi's import of power from the neighbouring country to 10,000 mega watt in the next 10 years.

After the meeting, PM Modi said India will continue to strive to take the relationship with Nepal to Himalayan heights.