Rajnath Singh meets Nepalese PM - India News and Travel Times Provides India-centric and other News and Features

Former Bharatiya Janata Party chief Rajnath Singh, who had come to Nepal to attend the funeral of ex- Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala, met Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal here this morning. According to Nepalnews, Singh said after Koirala's death not only had Nepal lost a veteran politician, but also his country had lost a good friend. Madhav Kumar said, Koirala's death is an irreparable loss to the country and expressed his commitment to complete the peace process on time even in his absence. Pointing out the need of consensus among all political parties at this critical juncture, Madhav Kumar said he would strive for it. Singh also expressed his confidence on Nepal 's able leadership and expressed hope for consensus among the parties soon Earlier, Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and External Affairs Minister SM Krishna jointly met with the Nepalese Prime Minister. During the meeting, they expressed deep sorrow at the irreparable loss for country and the people of Nepal . They also expressed hope that Nepal would be able to write new Constitution within the timeframe by forging consensus among the political parties. Koirala was one of a handful of Nepali leaders in direct communication with Indian leaders and could solicit their good offices whenever the country encountered a crisis, say analysts. Koirala was instrumental in the signing of the 12-point agreement between the then Maoist rebels and seven political parties in November 2005 in New Delhi , which was aimed at toppling monarchy and restoring democracy in the country. After this, Maoists joined the mainstream politics in 2006, ending the decade-long armed conflict that left 16,000 people dead.