Rabi Lamichhane's India Visit Garners Significant Attention

Kathmandu. Rastriya Swatantra Party President Rabi Lamichhane is on a visit to India. Discussions have started about the welcome he received in India.

Previously, other party presidents had also visited India at the invitation of the Bharatiya Janata Party, but knowledgeable sources say that the Indian side has not given as much importance to President Lamichhane as to others.

According to them, when the then President of the Nepali Congress, Sher Bahadur Deuba, and the coordinator of the Communist Party of Nepal, Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda', visited India, the welcome from the Indian side did not involve as much fanfare as for RSP President Rabi.

In the last week of Bhadra 2079, Prachanda, in his capacity as the chairman of the Maoist Center, visited India at the invitation of the BJP. During that visit, Chairman Prachanda was welcomed at the airport by the head of the BJP's foreign department, Dr. Vijay Chauthaiwale.

However, RSP President Lamichhane was welcomed by BJP General Secretary Arun Singh, and the head of the foreign department, Chauthaiwale, was also with him.

President Lamichhane began his meetings with BJP President Nitin Naveen. He visited the BJP headquarters and held bilateral meetings with President Naveen, as well as observed the headquarters. He had lunch at the BJP headquarters and met with Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar.

Former Ambassador to Nepal, Bijaykant Karna, stated that India might be giving such importance because it wants to build friendly relations with RSP and the government led by it. He added that it is natural for India to give importance to the president of a party that has become so powerful in Nepal in a short period for the first time.

In Phalguna 2081, Deuba wanted to visit India. His visit was almost certain. Deuba was scheduled to visit Prayagraj, and publicity was done accordingly in India, but the visit was canceled at the last moment when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi refused to meet Deuba.

In Chaitra 2078, when Deuba visited India as Prime Minister, he also observed the BJP headquarters. He was welcomed at the airport by the Minister of State for Tourism. However, he faced significant criticism in Nepal for visiting the BJP office.

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What did the BJP say about RSP President Lamichhane's visit to India?

After going to the BJP office, Deuba was welcomed by the then BJP President J.P. Nadda, but knowledgeable sources say that India is not giving as much importance to Deuba now as it is giving to RSP President Rabi.

Former Ambassador Karna said, 'After the movement of 2063, when Girija Prasad Koirala visited India as Prime Minister, the importance given was similar to the importance India is giving to Rabi now.'

During his visit, RSP President Lamichhane's article was published in the prestigious newspaper Hindustan Times, which has also increased the significance of his visit.

Pankaj Sharma, a member of India's National Security Advisory Board and former ambassador, also praised the article and urged Nepalis and Indians to read it.

Indian professor S.D. Muni stated that President Lamichhane's visit is significant because he presented Nepal's expectations during his visit. He added that the visit gained importance because President Lamichhane spoke only about his expectations and not about India's expectations.