The leader of a pro-monarchist and pro-Hindu political party in Nepal has said his party would not seek Prime Minister Narendra Modi's help to restore the country's status as the world's only Hindu state.
Kamal Thapa, president of Rastriya Prajatantra Party-Nepal (RRP-Nepal), said whether Nepal should be a Hindu state or a secular state is the internal matter of the country.
"We don't want leaders of other country to get involved in our internal matter," he told a private television channel during an interview.
"We will raise the matter within our own country."
The RPP-Nepal continues to push for a return to constitutional monarchy and has focused its campaign on making Nepal a Hindu state once again after it was declared a secular republic in 2008.
Thapa said Modi is a leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party, which is a strong supporter of Hindu religion, but "we are not going to ask his help in restoring Nepal as a Hindu state."
Instead, reducing a huge trade-deficit with India, increasing Indian investment in Nepal and development of hydropower are the three main agenda we should discuss with the visiting Prime Minister, he pointed out.
Modi begins his two-day Nepal visit on Sunday, during which he will meet the Nepalese leaders. He will also offer a special prayer at the famed Pashupatinath Temple situated on the banks of Bagmati river on the outskirts of Kathmandu.
Modi would be the first Indian Prime Minister to visit neighbouring Nepal in 17 years.
Meanwhile, CPN-UML chairman KP Sharma Oli has said Nepal should make the most of the visit of Prime Minister Modi.
He expressed confidence in the Parliament that the visit would be an important milestone in the history of Nepal-India relations.
