Nepal’s ruling Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) chairperson Rabi Lamichanne on Wednesday (June 3, 2026) met Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who called the neighbouring country a “priority partner”.
The meeting came a day after Mr. Lamichhane called on External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Home Minister Amit Shah and discussed development and security partnerships between the two countries.
The meetings came even as official sources here informed that Nepal’s Foreign Minister, Shisir Khanal, is expected to arrive in India this week.
“Delighted to meet the Chairman of the Rastriya Swatantra Party of Nepal Mr. Rabi Lamichhane. I welcome and fully share his desire to work closely together for a shared and prosperous future. Nepal is a priority partner under our Neighbourhood First policy and we look forward to collaborating with the new government to elevate the special and multifaceted relationship between our two countries to greater heights,” Mr. Modi said in a social media post, sharing photographs of the meeting, which was attended by National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, Mr. Jaishankar, and Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri.
Mr. Lamichhane said the hour-long meeting with Mr. Modi was a “great delight” and pledged to work for “development diplomacy”.
“By focusing on shared civilizational bonds, digital corridors, and seamless connectivity, we can truly build a partnership defined by progress and mutual trust. RSP looks forward to translating these possibilities into reality for people of Nepal and India – for our shared prosperity,” he said in a social media post.
Mr. Lamichhane was accompanied by his spouse Nikita Poudel Lamichhane, the Embassy of Nepal Chargé d’affaires Surendra Thapa, RSP joint general secretary and Member of Parliament (MP) Bipin Acharya, and Deepak Bohora, RSP MP.
The Embassy of Nepal, in a social media post, said the meeting covered “digital corridors and connectivity”.
The warm welcome extended to Mr. Lamichhane at the Indira Gandhi International Airport on Monday and the subsequent top-level meetings have taken place against the backdrop of the early days of the Prime Minister Balen Shah-led government, which came to power in March and attracted attention for introducing customs duties on imported Indian goods worth more than 100 Nepalese rupees. This was followed by a reignition of the Kalapani-Limpiyadhura-Lipulek border dispute, which on Tuesday drew a response from the External Affairs Ministry that negated the role of third parties in Nepal-India border issues. Mr. Lamichhane’s visit is therefore being viewed as an attempt to keep the ties on a smooth track.
Official sources confirmed to The Hindu that Foreign Minister Khanal is scheduled to travel to India this week. Mr. Khanal was earlier expected to travel to Delhi to attend the meeting of the International Big Cats Alliance that was cancelled because of the Ebola outbreak in Africa.
On Tuesday (June 2, 2026), Mr. Shah congratulated Mr. Lamichhane on the RSP’s victory in the Nepal election and conveyed “firm resolve to work together for enhancing the special ties between India and Nepal”.
Mr. Lamichhane’s visit has drawn considerable attention here, as he is the first high-profile visitor from Nepal since the formation of the new government under Prime Minister Balendra Shah, who has been prioritising domestic reforms and economic issues.
Mr. Balendra Shah grabbed attention soon after taking charge by adopting a blanket policy of not meeting any visiting diplomats or bureaucrats. It is understood that a visit by Foreign Secretary Misri, which was expected to take place in May, could not be scheduled because the Nepal Prime Minister stuck to his position of not holding special meetings with visiting diplomats.
Published - June 03, 2026 10:38 pm IST
Source: The Hindu - India News
