Nepal Prime Minister KP Oli called up his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi on Thursday and briefed him about the political developments in Nepal. During their conversation Modi emphasised on the importance of finding a durable solution to the political problems facing Nepal based on sahmati (consensus). Modi also extended his good wishes to the people of Nepal for the New Year 2016.

The Cabinet of the Oli Government recently agreed to make amendments in its new Constitution to incorporate key demands like proportional representation and constituency delimitation by the agitating Madhesis. The Nepalese PM thanked Modi for welcoming the Nepal Government’s move to forward a Bill in Parliament for amending the Constitution to address the demands raised by the agitating Madhesi Front.

According to the Nepalese premier’s Press adviser Pramod Dahal, during their 20-minute conversation, Modi invited Oli to visit India. Oli accepted the invitation and said he will pay an official visit to India soon after the situation is normalised. Sources in the Nepal Government said, Oli would visit India before undertaking his trip to China, which was earlier supposed to be his maiden visit overseas.

During the talk, the two leaders also discussed matters relating to improving relations between Nepal and India, Dahal said. Oli said he wanted to see Nepal-India relations move towards a positive direction while also drawing Modi’s attention towards the obstructions prevailing in the Nepal-India border check-points, according to Dahal. He requested Modi to make arrangements for smoothening the Raxaul-Birgunj check-point, the major trading point between the two countries.

In response, Modi said he was always in favour of easing Indo-Nepal border trading points and asserted that India was not creating any obstructions in the movement in the border checkpoint, Oli’s press adviser added.

Modi told Oli that all the border points except the Raxaul-Birgunj check-point are operating in a normal way and the obstructions were created in the Raxaul-Birgunj point due to continued protests by the agitating Madhesi parties, according to Dahal.

Modi also recalled that he had instructed the External Affairs Minister to ensure that medicines reach Nepal through airlifting to avoid their scarcity due to agitations there.

The two Prime Ministers also discussed issues relating to bilateral interest on the occasion.

India and Nepal relationship was largely on the edge due to the agitation by Madhesi groups because the certain provisions in the new Consitution of Nepal. The Indian-origin Madhesis claim they have been given a raw deal and a lot of the provisions were discriminatory.

India has all along maintained that the Constitution should be inclusive and take care of the aspirations of all citizens. During his visit to Nepal last year, Modi had advised the political leadership in Kathmandu to have a Constitution that is based on sahmat rather than bahumat (majority).