Nepal’s Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, popularly known as Prachanda, was reported to have departed for India on Sunday afternoon for his significant two-day visit. His primary agenda is to attend the swearing-in ceremony of his Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi which is scheduled for Sunday evening.
The official visit commenced from the VVIP terminal of Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu. Accompanying Prachanda on this trip are his daughter Ganga Dahal, Minister for Law, Justice, and Parliamentary Affairs Padam Giri, Foreign Secretary Sewa Lamsal, Head of the South Asia Division at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Bhrigu Dhungana, Chief of Protocol Bishnu Prasad Gautam, Protocol Officer Prabin Bhattarai, and three security personnel. This information was provided in a release by Nepal’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The swearing-in ceremony that is slated to take place at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi is a grand affair where Modi will be taking the oath for his third consecutive term as Prime Minister. This comes after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) secured a resounding victory in the parliamentary elections, winning 293 seats in the Lok Sabha. The NDA’s triumph ensures a historic third term for Modi, making him the second Indian leader to achieve this milestone after Jawaharlal Nehru.
Prachanda is one among the several distinguished guests who had been invited to the event. The event has been reflective of the significance of India’s ‘Neighborhood First’ policy. Alongside the Nepali Prime Minister, other notable leaders and heads of state from the region and the Indian Ocean have also been invited. This includes President Ranil Wickremesinghe of Sri Lanka, President Mohamed Muizzu of the Maldives, Vice-President Ahmed Afif of Seychelles, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina of Bangladesh, Prime Minister Pravind Kumar Jugnauth of Mauritius, and Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay of Bhutan.
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The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) of India emphasized the importance of the event, stating, “The visit of the leaders to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his third consecutive term is in keeping with the highest priority accorded by India to its ‘Neighborhood First’ policy and ‘SAGAR’ vision.”
In addition to the swearing-in ceremony, these leaders are also expected to attend a banquet hosted by President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan later in the evening, further emphasizing the diplomatic ties and camaraderie among the attending nations.
The tradition of inviting regional leaders to the swearing-in ceremonies of Indian prime ministers has been a hallmark of Modi’s tenure. In 2014, during Modi’s first swearing-in ceremony, the event was termed a mini-SAARC summit, attended by leaders from the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) nations, including then-Nepali Prime Minister Sushil Koirala. The second ceremony in 2019 saw the presence of BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) member nations, with Nepal’s then Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli attending.
