PM Modi leaves suddenly for Bhutan
Sandeep Dikshit
New Delhi, March 22
After putting off his Bhutan visit that was to take place from March 21, Prime Minister Narendra Modi left for Thimphu on Friday morning.
The only inkling about his sudden change came from a X post on the Prime Minister’s official handle.
“On the way to Bhutan, where I will be attending various programmes aimed at further cementing the India-Bhutan partnership. I look forward to talks with Majesty the King of Bhutan, His Majesty the Fourth Druk Gyalpo and Prime Minister,” posted the PM.
On the way to Bhutan, where I will be attending various programmes aimed at further cementing the India-Bhutan partnership. I look forward to talks with Majesty the King of Bhutan, His Majesty the Fourth Druk Gyalpo and Prime Minister @tsheringtobgay. pic.twitter.com/tMsYNBuFNQ
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 22, 2024
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s two-day state visit to Bhutan beginning Thursday was postponed due to inclement weather, the Ministry of External Affairs has said on Wednesday. With Bhutan all decked up for the visit, PM Modi was scheduled to arrive in Thimphu on March 21 and leave the next day.
The visit was announced when Bhutan PM Tshering Tobgay was in India last week. It would have taken place within four days of the Bhutan PM’s departure which is unusual in diplomacy.
“New dates are being worked out by the two sides through diplomatic channels,” added the MEA. An inkling that the trip may not be on the cards came in the evening when Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra cancelled a scheduled press briefing on the subject.
According to the website AccuWeather, on Thursday there will be a thick cloud cover over Thimphu with an afternoon shower in spots. Friday will be chilly with considerable cloudiness and a little rain in the afternoon.
“The visit was in keeping with the tradition of regular high-level exchanges between the two nations, and the Indian government’s emphasis on its Neighbourhood First Policy,” said the Government.
