India downplays Oli's 'border blockade' remark

India on Thursday downplayed Nepal Prime Minister KP Oli's remarks linking his maiden visit to India with the "border blockade".

External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup also justified a visit here by a group of Nepalese, including Madhesi, saying that India has always maintained contact across political spectrum in Nepal without taking sides.

"Our one and only desire is to see a peaceful, stable and prosperous Nepal and for Nepal to resolve its internal political differences at the earliest by engaging in a dialogue in a genuine spirit of flexibility and compromise," Swarup said.

His comments came barely days after India welcomed the two amendments dealing with representation of Madhesis in the Nepali Parliament as "positive" and hoped that remaining outstanding issues would also be dealt with constructively.

Asked about Oli's remarks that it would not be appropriate to visit India until the "border blockade" ends, linking his maiden foreign trip next month to the normalisation of situation at the border, Swarup said India has not got any such statement officially from Nepal.