New Delhi: Nepal’s new ruling party chief, Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) chairman Rabi Lamichhane met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday (June 3), capping a series of high-level engagements with India’s political and security leadership during a visit that comes at a delicate moment in Nepal-India relations.Lamichhane, whose party leads Nepal’s government under Prime Minister Balendra Shah, also held meetings on Tuesday with external affairs minister S. Jaishankar, home minister Amit Shah, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Nitin Nabin.Modi, posting on X after the meeting, said he was “delighted” to meet the RSP chairman and welcomed his desire to work together for a 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,” he wrote. Lamichhane, in a post of his own, described an “hour-long conversation” and said he shared Modi’s vision of “development diplomacy” moving beyond “past constraints”, built around “shared civilisational bonds, digital corridors, and seamless connectivity.”The visit comes as India and Nepal navigate a series of disagreements that have emerged since the Shah government took office on March 27.Tensions escalated after Nepal objected to India’s use of the Lipulekh route for the 2026 Kailash Mansarovar Yatra and lodged diplomatic protests with both India and China, reiterating its claim over Limpiyadhura, Lipulekh and Kalapani. The protest, lodged on May 3, may have contributed to the postponement of a planned visit to Kathmandu by Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, who had been expected on May 11. Another reason given for postponement was that the Nepal PM had refused to meet Misri.The Shah administration has departed from some established diplomatic practices. Since taking office, Shah has declined to meet Indian Ambassador Naveen Srivastava, moving away from the convention of one-on-one meetings with foreign envoys and adopted a stricter approach to diplomatic protocol. The issue gained further attention after Shah told parliament on Sunday that Nepal had also encroached on Indian territory in some places and suggested that the United Kingdom, as the successor to British India, should take an interest in resolving the boundary dispute.India promptly rejected the suggestion. “It should be clear to all concerned that there is no role for any third parties in a bilateral matter between India and Nepal,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at a press briefing in New Delhi on Tuesday.Against this backdrop, Lamichhane’s visit has been closely watched in both capitals. According to reports in the Nepali media, India had originally invited both Shah and Lamichhane following the RSP’s election victory. While Shah’s visit remains uncertain, Lamichhane became the first senior leader of the new ruling establishment to travel to New Delhi.The Kathmandu Post reported last week that Delhi had originally extended invitations to both Shah and Lamichhane after the election result, and that Shah’s visit remains uncertain due to what the government has described as a self-imposed moratorium on foreign travel. Government spokesperson Sasmit Pokhrel said Lamichhane was travelling in a personal capacity and that his visit should not be linked to any prospective prime ministerial visit.Analysts and diplomats have pointed to apparent differences in approach between Shah and Lamichhane. The Nepali Times noted that ministers appointed by Lamichhane have widely shared images of his meetings with Indian leaders on social media, while those appointed by Shah have largely stayed silent.During his meetings, Lamichhane discussed bilateral relations, development cooperation and people-to-people ties. Jaishankar said his talks with the RSP chairman focused on the Nepal-India development partnership, while Amit Shah’s office said the home minister congratulated Lamichhane on his party’s election victory and conveyed India’s best wishes for the success of Nepal’s new government.Lamichhane also visited BJP headquarters under the party’s “Know BJP” initiative, where discussions covered organisational structures, grassroots outreach and the role of younger generations in politics.Founded in June 2022, the RSP emerged as Nepal’s dominant political force in this year’s parliamentary elections, ending the era of traditional parties and bringing a new generation of leaders into government.He arrived in New Delhi on June 1 on Nabin’s invitation. His delegation includes his wife Nikita Poudel, joint general secretary Bipin Acharya and secretariat member Deepak Bohara. He is expected to visit Ayodhya before concluding his trip.