Nepal President Bidhya Devi Bhandari on Tuesday called on her Indian counterpart Pranab Mukherjee ahead of a banquet hosted in her honour."A relationship marked by strong people to people connections. President Bidya Devi Bhandari meets Rashtrapati ji at @RashtrapatiBhvn," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Gopal Baglay tweeted.Among those present at the banquet hosted by Mukherjee in the honour of the Himalayan nation's President were Prime Minister Narendra Modi, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Chief Justice of India J.S. Khehar, JD-U chief Sharad Yadav and veteran BJP leader L.K. Advani.Modi, who called on Bhandari late Tuesday afternoon, said he had "fruitful talks" with her during the meeting.
Earlier in the day, Bhandari was accorded a ceremonial welcome at the forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhavan here. Later, she paid tribute to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat.Following this, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj called on the visiting dignitary.The Nepal President arrived here on Monday on a five-day visit to India at the invitation of President Mukherjee.This is Bhandari's maiden foreign tour after assuming office in October 2015.She is accompanied by a 33-member delegation that includes Foreign Minister Prakash Sharan Mahat and Peace and Reconstruction Minister Sita Devi Yadav, five women MPs and senior officials.She will also visit Gujarat and Odisha before returning to Kathmandu on Friday.