KATHMANDU: Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) Chair Rabi Lamichhane is leaving for a five-day visit to India today (Monday), marking the first high-level visit by a senior leader from Nepal’s ruling party since the formation of the government led by Prime Minister Balendra Shah.
During his stay in New Delhi, he is expected to hold meetings with Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and other senior government officials, according to RSP leaders.
The party has also stated that Lamichhane will engage in high-level political and diplomatic meetings, including interactions with senior leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Meanwhile, according to a statement issued by Dr. Vijay Chauthaiwale, head of the BJP’s Foreign Affairs Department, the visit is being undertaken at the invitation of BJP President Nitin Nabin.
During their visit to New Delhi, Lamichhane and the accompanying delegation are scheduled to meet with senior BJP leaders as part of efforts to establish formal inter-party relations.
Discussions are expected to focus on organizational experiences, democratic governance practices and approaches to public engagement and outreach.
The BJP statement specifically highlights meetings with BJP leaders and does not mention any planned meeting between the delegation and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
RSP General Secretary Bipin Acharya, Member of Parliament Deepak Bohora, Nikita Poudel and Pradip Acharya will accompany Lamichhane during the visit. According to the party, the Embassy of Nepal in New Delhi will coordinate and facilitate his official engagements.
Sources familiar with the visit said efforts are underway to arrange a meeting between Lamichhane and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, although no official confirmation has been made.
Given its political and diplomatic significance, the visit is being closely watched in both Kathmandu and New Delhi. Lamichhane is also expected to visit the BJP headquarters and meet senior party leaders. India has previously extended similar invitations to prominent leaders of Nepal’s major political parties.
Former prime ministers Sher Bahadur Deuba and Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ have undertaken comparable visits and held meetings with BJP officials in the past.
The trip comes at a time when high-level engagement between Nepal and India has remained relatively limited following the formation of the Shah-led government. Prime Minister Shah’s official visit to India has yet to be finalized despite expectations that New Delhi would be among his first foreign destinations after assuming office.
Although Lamichhane previously served twice as Home Minister and leads one of the largest parties in Parliament, this will be his first official visit to India in his current political role.
The visit also follows several recent diplomatic developments. Earlier, Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri’s planned visit to Nepal was postponed after he was reportedly unable to secure a meeting with Prime Minister Shah.
More recently, Nepal conveyed its concerns to both India and China after the two countries announced plans to resume trade through the Lipulekh border point, a territory claimed by Nepal as part of its sovereign land.
Against this backdrop, Lamichhane’s New Delhi visit is expected to provide an opportunity for both sides to discuss bilateral priorities and assess the future direction of Nepal-India relations under Nepal’s new political leadership.
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