Rabi Lamichhane to Visit India on May 18

Kathmandu. Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) Chairman Rabi Lamichhane is going to visit India on May 18. Sources said he is going to India at the invitation of the Indian Ministry of External Affairs. He will be in India for two days and has scheduled high-level meetings including with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval. It is understood that he will also meet with officials of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). India had previously arranged formal visits for then Maoist Centre Chairman Prachanda and Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba in a similar manner in their capacity as chairmen of ruling parties. A leader close to the BJP said that Rabi is being arranged to visit India in his capacity as the chairman of the country's largest party and a ruling party. In recent times, there has been a rift in the relationship between India and Nepal. The visit of Indian Foreign Minister Vikram Misri to Nepal has been postponed due to border disputes including Lipulekh. Although Prime Minister Balendra Shah has accepted the invitation to visit India, it is not certain when he will visit. Foreign Minister Shishir Khanal's two visits to India have also been postponed. Rabi Lamichhane's visit to India at this time is being seen as significant.