Nepal party chief visits India, seeks closer ties amid border row

Nepal's ruling Rastriya Swatantra Party chief Rabi Lamichhane arrived in New Delhi on Tuesday for a visit aimed at strengthening economic and strategic cooperation with India. Lamichhane, a former deputy prime minister and interior minister, is president of the party led by 36-year-old rapper-turned-politician Balendra Shah.

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A stable and prosperous Nepal is a natural guardrail along India's northern border, whereas a politically fractured Nepal makes India nervous about instability in the neighbourhood.

Prime Minister Shah has opted to focus on Nepal's domestic challenges, including its struggling economy, and has stated he will not travel abroad during his first year in office. This decision leaves Lamichhane to represent the nation in high-level foreign engagements, including expected meetings with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

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Nepal's economic development is, therefore, a strategic necessity for India.

The visit takes place against the backdrop of a renewed border dispute concerning the Lipulekh Pass, a strategic point where Nepal, India, and China converge. The pass is significant for Indian pilgrims and serves as a direct link between India and China. Tensions flared in 2020 when India opened a new road to the pass, and recently, Prime Minister Shah's comments suggesting mutual territorial encroachment by both Nepal and India sparked controversy in Kathmandu.

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run like a leopard

Lamichhane highlighted Nepal's delicate geopolitical position between its two giant neighbors, India and China. He stressed India's traditional view of Nepal as an ally and its strategic interest in a stable, prosperous Nepal to ensure border security. "Nepal's economic development is, therefore, a strategic necessity for India," Lamichhane wrote in The Hindustan Times, underscoring the interconnectedness of the two nations' stability and prosperity.

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encroached