Before India visit, PM Oli to solicit advice from parties in Parliament   

• At the House meeting slated for 11 am, Tuesday, PM Oli will formally inform the parties about his planned visit to India
• Parties represented in the Parliament will offer suggestions on agendas they want PM Oli to raise with India
• After the meeting, PM Oli plans to give a final shape to agendas for the trip

Kathmandu, February 15

The Parliament is convening its meeting at 11 am on Tuesday. The meeting will dwell on Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli’s upcoming visit to India.

Nepal’s prime ministers have raerly bothered to discuss issues to figure during their foreign trips in the Parliament. This, despite the parliamentary norms and values that the Council of Ministers and the Prime Minister are held accountable to the people through the Parliament.

But this time, Prime Minister Oli will discuss the issues before embarking on his trip to India. The meeting, according to Minister for Law Agni Kharel, aims to collect suggestions from the political parties.

In his maiden trip to India as prime minister, Oli is leaving Kathmandu on February 19. The trip is important in view of differences that developed with India after Nepal’s popularly-elected Constituemt Assembly promulgated a constitution. PM Oli will address the House meeting and formally inform about his India visit, a source at the Parliament Secretariat said. After that, parties represented in the Parliament will offer suggestions on agendas that PM Oli should raise with Indian leaders during the trip.

Subas Nembang, former Speaker and deputy leader of the CPN-UML Parliamentary Party, said: The prime minister is embarking on a visit to India at a crucial time when the Parliament session is going on. It is but fitting to discuss the visit in the Parliament. As part of his preparations for the India visit, PM Oli has already held discussions with former prime ministers and foreign ministers. Oli has also held talks with representatives of the private sector. After the House discussions, PM Oli will give finalise the agendas that he plans to raise with the Indian establishment.