Kathmandu, May 17 (IANS) Nepal Saturday expressed confidence that India will not change its policy towards the Himalayan nation after the victory of Narendra Modi-led BJP in the Lok Sabha elections.
Foreign Minister Mahendra Bahadur Pandey told media persons here that while India could change its internal policy, its Nepal policy would remain the same, Xinhua reported.
"Nepal and India share close ties which will be continued in the coming days. I have confidence that India will not change its Nepal policy," Pandey said.
In an interview with Xinhua a few weeks ago, Pandey said Nepal wanted to maintain dignified relations with neighbouring countries.
This is the first formal comment from Nepal after the victory of the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the Indian general election.
After the victory of the Hindi nationalist BJP, there has been widespread speculation here that India may change its policy towards Nepal which till 2008 was the world's only Hindu state.
Some argue that Modi's emergence may boost the morale of the former royalist party in Nepal which is striving for the restoration of abolished monarchy and Hindu state.
After Nepal was turned into a secular state in 2008, the BJP expressed dissatisfaction.
Nepal's pro-royalist Rashtriya Prajatantra Party-Nepal said Friday that India could change its Nepal policy.
More than 80 percent of Nepal's population is Hindu and speculation is rife in political circles here that Modi might favour efforts to turn Nepal back into a Hindu state.
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