Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said that the spiritual and cultural relation between India and Nepal was part of a common heritage and politics should not become a barrier in this and both countries should endeavour to carry forward the heritage.
“If India is prosperous, Nepal also becomes prosperous, because half of the population of Nepal lives in India. The Indo-Nepal dialogue along with cultural and spiritual heritage of both countries will also take trade between the two countries to a new height,” Yogi said while addressing the second Indo-Nepal bilateral dialogue at his 5, Kalidas Marg residence in Lucknow on Thursday.
The dialogue was held under the aegis of India Foundation, Niti Anusandhaan Pratishthan (Nepal) and Nepal-Indo Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NICCI), Kathmandu.
Addressing the gathering, the chief minister said that it was a great initiative.
“While India and Nepal are two bodies since ancient times, our cultural heritage connects each other. The well being of both countries is linked to each other,” he added.
Yogi said that the credibility of Nepalese people was strong in Indian army and Indian homes. “Nepalese people are in Indian army and their rank varies from a soldier to very senior positions. This is the belief of India and our common heritage is based on these beliefs. Small countries of Europe are moving ahead at a fast pace, then why can Nepal not move forward in this competition,” he said.
The chief minister said that Nepal could become a big power centre and a major hub of tourism. “But it is important to identify hindrance in this and resolve it. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has connected Pashupatinathji with Kashi Vishwanath and Ayodhya has also been connected to Janakpuri,” he said.
Yogi said that if Varanasi was developing into a Smart City, then why should Kathmandu lag behind.
The chief minister said that Nepal had to identify its enemies and friends.
“The Kashi Vishwanath temple has been linked to the employment of locals. Perfumes and incense are being made from flowers and other items offered in the temple and this task is being done by a group of 50 women from villages, which had earlier been suffering due to Naxalism. Similarly, youth are earning lakhs of rupees per month by acting as guides. Nepal has many such temples and cultural heritage. It can be linked to employment,” the chief minister said.
Earlier, BJP national general secretary Ram Madhav said that India and Nepal were very old neighbours and India wanted both countries to move ahead together.
He said that India’s development model was based on two principles — ‘neighbour first’ and ‘we move forward together’.
“India is making rapid progress. We want that our neighbours also get benefited by this progress,” he said.
Addressing the event, Nepal Congress general secretary Dr Shashank Koirala said that Nepal was highly impressed by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for his focus on spiritual tourism. Delegates from both countries were present on the occasion.
