Busy Koirala has date with Sonia, Nepal Solidarity

There were some doubts over when Koirala would visit India. That was because apart from a bronchial problem he has a nagging rib injury suffered during a demonstration a few years ago. ‘‘He never fully recovered from that injury,’’ said Nepali Congress leader and family member Shekhar Koirala.

Koirala told representatives of the Nepal Solidarity Committee that it was necessary for him to be present because he wanted to thank Indians for their support during the movement for the restoration of democracy in Nepal.

During Thursday’s meetings, the Nepalese delegation told the Indian leaders that it was keen to ensure that talks with Maoists progressed without hindrance. For that, the Nepalese Government believed a ‘‘credible international mediation’’ could still be helpful in taking the talks with the insurgents forward, leading to the formation of an interim government, which would hold elections to the Constituent Assembly.

CPI leader D Raja who led the Solidarity Committee delegation said, ‘‘Unless the Maoist issue is settled there cannot be peace and security. It is also necessary that the unity of the seven-party alliance is maintained because that is an important development in the democratic process.’’

With India not yet proactive in its dealings with the new Nepalese Government or involvement in its affairs, the latter was very cautious in approaching future issues. One of those issues is the economic situation, which Shekhar Koirala said had virtually collapsed over the last decade.

But the Nepalese were overwhelmed by Manmohan Singh’s decision to receive Koirala at the airport. ‘‘There could not have been a bigger gesture than that. It was bigger than any economic package. There is no longer any big brother attitude,’’ Shekhar Koirala said.