PM Oli’s India visit successful but not historic: Dr Mahat

WHITE PAPER FABRICATED, MISLEADING AND CONTRARY TO REAL PICTURE OF NATION’S ECONOMY

KATHMANDU, April 9: Leader of Main opposition party Dr Ram Saran Mahat has described Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli’s India trip as successful.

Prime Minister Oli returned on Monday concluding his three-day state visit to India. During his visit, Oli held on one-to-one talk with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The duo also issued a 12-point communiqué which aimed at expanding connectivity, enhance people-to-people linkages and promote economic growth and development of the two countries.

India has agreed to give Nepal an access to sea through inland waterways and expanding railway linkages connecting Kathmandu with Raxual and developing new partnership in agriculture.

“PM Oli’s visit is a huge success as it has played a crucial role in improving the Indo-Nepal bilateral ties. Nepali Congress has concluded that PM’s trip has been successful,” said Dr Mahat at an interaction program organized by the Reporters’ Club Nepal on Monday.

“The two prime ministers have reached some milestone agreements. Having access to sea and railway will be a milestone for the country to accelerate the economic growth,” added Mahat.

However he expressed serious concerns over how these agreements will be implemented.

“Things are easier said than done. How will the railway be built? Will the assistance come as grant or as loan? We have been discussing about having access to sea through inland waterways for almost fourty years now. A detailed study report on bringing railway is yet to come.”

Even though Nepal and India reached some milestone agreements such as inland waterways, expansion of railway connectivity and cooperation in agriculture development, critics have said that Oli’s visit failed to raise the issues of national interest.

Opposition leaders have criticized Oli for giving less importance to issue of border disputes, land encroachment and trade deficit in the name of mending ties with India.

“We have been facing billions of trade deficits with India. We export less and import more. Prime Minister should have raised these issues. It is sad that he did not,” said Mahat.

“PM Oli’s India visit was successful and not historical.”

“India had already realized the urgency to mend the relation with Nepal that worsened after the constitution promulgation in 2015.”

On a different note, NC leader Mahat slammed the white paper the government had issued on nation’s economy—which said the state coffers were empty and the country was in danger of facing economic crisis.

“The white paper is totally fabricated and misleading. The state coffer has not emptied as stated in the white paper. The revenue growth is around 20 percent and Nepal’s tax to gross domestic product ratio is 24 per cent—which is  the highest in South Asia,” said Mahat.

“The government has not presented the actual picture of nation’s economy. Only the darker sides have been revealed. The government wants to give impression that the government has taken over the economy in a bad shape,” he added.