Nepal Prime Minister Pushpakamal Dahal "Prachanda" arrived in Madhya Pradesh on Friday as part of his two-day visit to the state. The Nepal PM and Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan held a brief interaction at the airport, where Chouhan was seen sporting a traditional Nepali cap during his interaction with Prachanda. Official sources said Prachanda was overwhelmed by the warm welcome and told CM Chouhan that it didn't seem that they were meeting for the first time. During the meeting, Chouhan told him that India and Nepal were ancient civilisations and they were culturally one.
Chief Minister Chouhan said, "India and Nepal are ancient and great nations. Many a time they feel like two bodies with one culture and civilisation,” as quoted by news agency ANI.
A group of artistes also performed traditional dance at the airport in honour of the guests from Nepal. Meanwhile, members of the local Nepalese community raised the slogans of "Jai Mahakali" by holding the flags of India and Nepal to welcome them, reported news agency PTI.
After meeting the Chief Minister, Prachanda visited the Mahakal Temple in Ujjain where he was seen interacting with the temple saints and people present there to welcome him.
In a video posted by ANI, Chouhan further said, “The relations of the two nations get enhanced and the cooperation is further enhanced, I believe that solid steps will be taken in this direction with his visit."
Prachanda was welcomed by the temple priests and people at the Mahakal Temple in Ujjain when he arrived there to offer his prayers.
In a video, he was seen being garlanded by people there.
On his return to Indore, he will also hold meetings with Madhya Pradesh Governor Mangubhai Patel and also attend a dinner to be hosted in his honour by chief minister Chouhan, officials said.
Prachanda who assumed office in December last year is on an official visit to India from May 31-June 3. This is his fourth visit to India.
He participated in the India-Nepal Business Summit on Thursday that concluded successfully, marking a significant milestone in strengthening economic cooperation and deepening bilateral relations between the two neighbouring nations, informed the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) through an official release on Thursday.
The summit that was held in New Delhi on Thursday brought together prominent business leaders, high-level government officials, ambassadors and experts from India and Nepal to explore avenues of collaboration and foster mutually beneficial partnership.