Nepali Congress president Koirala embarks on five-day visit to India

Kathmandu: Nepali Congress president Sushil Koirala on Sunday left for a five-day visit to India during which he will meet top leadership and discuss Nepal`s ongoing peace process and the Constituent Assembly elections.

He is coming at the invitation of the government of India. The Nepali Congress (NC) leader will meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, BJP leader Sushma Swaraj among others, the party sources said. He will held high-level meetings in New Delhi and discuss issues relating to Nepal`s ongoing peace process, the forthcoming Constituent Assembly elections and constitution making process, the sources said. Koirala will be accompanied by NC general secretaries Prakash Man Singh and Krishna Sitaula and his personal aid Laxman Dhakal. "Nepal is capable of resolving its problems including holding the Constituent Assembly polls and drafting the new constitution but we need moral support and good will from India and the rest of the international community in our efforts to consolidate democracy, peace and stability," party general secretary Singh told PTI here today. Koirala will also visit Uttar Pradesh and Bihar and meet Chief Ministers Akhilesh Yadav and Nitish Kumar, respectively. The three leaders will discuss ways to control flood and address inundation problems in the border areas, Singh said. They will also discuss other border related issues and cooperation to develop the border areas. "Nepali Congress and Indian National Congress are very old friends and during our meeting with Congress president matters relating to further deepening party-to-party relations will also be discussed," Singh said. Last month, former Prime Minister and senior NC leader Sher Bahadur Deuba visited India at the invitation of the Prime Minister. PTI