Deuba back after ‘successful’ trip, says will consolidate India bond

He had lunch with PM Narendra Modi and high-level officials from both sides on Saturday, and called on External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar soon after landing in New Delhi on Friday. The two Prime Ministers remotely flagged off the railway service between Jainagar in Bihar and Kurtha in Janakpur (Nepal), released a joint vision statement on harnessing Nepal’s rich water resources for “mutual benefit”, and discussed the “border dispute” between the two countries.

What was discussed the most in Nepal, however, was the PM’s visit to the headquarters of the BJP to meet party chief J P Nadda — which has been criticised as a “breach of protocol” — even as he avoided meeting with any opposition leader in India.

Once the formal part of the visit was over, Deuba spent Sunday mostly in Varanasi as a pilgrim with his wife Arzu by his side. They had an elaborate puja at the Kashi Vishwanath temple, where the visiting dignitaries were received by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. As the mahant of the Gorakhnath peeth in Gorakhpur, Yogi has a large following in Nepal. Guru Gorakhnath was recognised as the presiding deity of Nepal and of the Shah kings until it was declared a “secular” country in 2006, and a republic in 2018.

“Nepal’s relationship with India is multi-faceted, and spirituality is one of its aspects,” Foreign Minister Narayan Khadka, who accompanied Prime Minister Deuba, said. Yogi hosted lunch for Deuba, had two rounds of talks with him, and promised to help build a dharmashala for Nepali pilgrims and elderly Nepalis living in Varanasi. Deuba did the bhumi poojan for the dharmashala.