Kathmandu, January 26
Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has claimed that the Indian blockade will end in 1-2 days, indicating he may not visit India shortly (as planned) if the blockade stays.
“This blockade will end without a formal declaration,” Oli told journalists at his official residence in Baluwatar on Tuesday.
Asked when the blockade will end, he said it will end in 1-2 days. This is not the first time Oli has said the blockade will end. Oli said it will be improper to visit India if the situation does not return to normal (if the blockade does not end).
As per a tentative schedule, Oli is preparing to visit India in the second week of February. But the exact date is yet to be worked out.
The Indian blockade and the Madhesh movement has been causing a severe shortage of essentials like oil and medicines in Nepal, which has been struggling to recover from the debilitating effects of the April 25 and May 12, 2015 quakes that killed around 9,000 people and destroyed infrastructure worth trillions of rupees. On top of it, the blockade has also caused Nepal losses of trillions of rupees.
