Nepal to recall ambassador to India

Kathmandu, May 6: The Nepal government on Friday decided to recall its ambassador to India Deep Kumar Upadhyay, appointed to the position in April last year from the Nepali Congress quota, informed sources said.

The Cabinet meeting, chaired by Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli on Friday, decided to recall Upadhyay after he held a conversation with Oli in the morning as President Bidhya Devi Bhandari's India visit was cancelled by Nepal unilaterally, without even informing him.

Upadhyay reportedly made his displeasure known to Oli.

"It does not look good at a time when Nepal-India ties are back on track and as an ambassador I was not even informed and consulted before the cancellation of the visit," Upadhyay reportedly told the prime minister.

Oli reportedly told Mr Upadhyay that "if you have such kind of reservation about the cancellation of the visit, you can quit".

The Nepali government also accused Ambassador Upadhyay of being active in Kathmandu and New Delhi in trying to topple the Oli-led government. Upadhyay is a senior leader of the Nepali Congress which is now in the opposition.

The differences between the prime minister and the ambassador over the cancellation of the president's visit led the Cabinet to recall Mr Upadhyay.

During the Cabinet meeting, Oli instructed Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Kamal Thapa to recall ambassador Upadhyay immediately.

Upadhyay, it was alleged, is involved and active in toppling the government, propping up the Madhes-based political parties for agitation, and was getting involved in various activities inside Nepal and India.

A top aide to Oli said the prime minister was for long unhappy with Upadhyay and his recall is only a manifestation of Oli's perception of some of Upadhyay's activities as improper for an ambassador.

IANS