Rabi Lamichhane Invites Indian PM Narendra Modi to Nepal

Kathmandu. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been invited to visit Nepal. National Independent Party Chairman Rabi Lamichhane extended the invitation to him to visit Nepal. 

Chairman Lamichhane and Prime Minister Modi held a meeting yesterday. During the meeting, Chairman Lamichhane extended the invitation to visit Nepal, an official participating in the delegation said. 

Prime Minister Modi also said that he is eager to visit Nepal and will visit Nepal soon. According to an official accompanying the delegation, if Prime Minister Modi is interested in visiting Nepal, an official invitation will be sent from Nepal on behalf of the Prime Minister. He said that this could be discussed after Chairman Lamichhane returns to Nepal. 

Senior leader of the National Independent Party Balendra Shah was appointed Prime Minister and immediately Indian Prime Minister Modi extended an invitation to visit. Later, in a congratulatory message sent through the Indian Embassy in Nepal, he also extended an invitation to visit India. Prime Minister Balen accepted the invitation. 

Internal preparations for the visit had also begun on both sides. Indian Foreign Ministry Secretary Vikram Misri wanted to come to Nepal with a formal invitation, but he did not come after Prime Minister Balen refused to meet him. 

It is now unlikely that Prime Minister Modi will visit India, as officials of his party have clarified that Prime Minister Balen will not visit any country for a year. In this situation, it is a matter of consideration whether Prime Minister Modi will come to visit Nepal or not, according to knowledgeable sources. 

It was like a tradition for the first foreign visit to be to India immediately after being appointed Prime Minister in Nepal. However, some prime ministers in between broke that tradition. 

Indian Prime Minister Modi has visited Nepal four times so far. After being appointed Prime Minister, he visited Nepal in 2014 at the invitation of then Prime Minister Sushil Koirala. At that time, he also addressed the parliamentarians. 

After that, he came to Nepal in 2014 to participate in the SAARC conference. At that time too, he held high-level meetings. After that, he came to Nepal in 2018 for a visit to Janakpur. The fourth visit was for a one-day visit to Lumbini in 2022. At that time, he met then Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and returned.