Nepal Ruling Party Delegation Led By Rabi Lamichhane To Visit BJP Headquarters In Delhi

A five-member delegation of Nepal’s ruling Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), led by its chairperson Rabi Lamichhane, will visit India from Monday following an invitation from Nitin Nabin.

According to a statement issued by the Bharatiya Janata Party, the delegation will visit the BJP headquarters in New Delhi and hold meetings with Nabin and senior BJP leaders.

The visit assumes significance as it comes days after Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri cancelled his proposed visit to Kathmandu. Misri was reportedly due to visit Nepal on May 12, but the trip was called off after there was no assurance of a meeting with Nepal Prime Minister Balendra Shah.

BJP Says Visit Aims To Build Party-To-Party Ties

In its statement, the BJP said the visit is aimed at initiating party-to-party engagement between the two political organisations.

“The visit seeks to initiate party-to-party engagement between the RSP and the BJP and provide an opportunity for exchange of views on organisational practices, democratic processes, and people-centric political outreach,” the BJP said.

The party added that it was looking forward to a “constructive dialogue” with the visiting delegation.

Visit Comes Amid India-Nepal Diplomatic Sensitivities

The visit also comes a day after Nepal Prime Minister Balendra Shah claimed that Nepal too had encroached upon certain Indian territories, an unusual statement from a Nepali government leader.

Political outreach between the BJP and Nepali leaders has precedent. In 2022, former Nepal Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba became the first sitting Nepali Prime Minister to visit the BJP headquarters in New Delhi, where he met then BJP president J. P. Nadda. Former Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal also visited the BJP headquarters later that year.