Kathmandu, June 2: During his visit to India, Rabi Lamichhane, president of the Rastriya Swatantra Party, said that building trust is the most important foundation of Nepal-India relations and that issues such as border disputes should not be allowed to drag on indefinitely.
In an article published Tuesday in the Indian newspaper Hindustan Times, Lamichhane criticized the long-standing political practice of using ultra-nationalist sentiments for electoral gains. He argued that disputes should be resolved based on historical facts, evidence, and mutual understanding.
“We are not carrying the burden of past bitterness. Our sole agenda is Nepal’s economic transformation,” he wrote.
Lamichhane said Nepal-India relations should move beyond traditional geopolitical disputes and focus on development and economic partnership.
In the article, he described Nepal’s political change as a “peaceful revolution through the ballot box.”
He presented the rise of the Rastriya Swatantra Party as a new political reality in Nepal and an alternative to the distrust and dissatisfaction created by traditional political parties.
Lamichhane said Nepal and India are not merely neighboring countries but partners connected by a shared civilization and cultural heritage.
He noted that the story of the Ramayana becomes complete only when Janakpur and Ayodhya are linked, and that the ties between Pashupatinath Temple and Kedarnath Temple, as well as between Lumbini and Bodh Gaya, form the basis of a shared civilizational bond.
He proposed initiatives ranging from railway connectivity to the establishment of institutions similar to IIT and AIIMS in Nepal.
Stating that Nepal wants to learn from India’s rapid economic growth, Lamichhane proposed cooperation across multiple sectors. He said the proposed 150-kilometer Raxaul Kathmandu railway could bring transformative changes to trade, tourism, and connectivity between the two countries.
He also called for direct flights from Pokhara and Lumbini to Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru.
In the article, Lamichhane urged cooperation in establishing premier educational and healthcare institutions modeled on India’s IITs and AIIMS in Nepal.
He further proposed collaboration on a Kathmandu Bengaluru digital corridor, technology laboratories, startup incubation centers, fintech, and digital payment systems.
Highlighting Nepal’s hydropower potential, he said it could serve as a source of clean energy for India’s industrial growth and emphasized the need for an integrated energy market.
He also proposed removing administrative barriers at border points and building modern digital Integrated Check Posts (ICPs).
In the tourism sector, Lamichhane advocated developing a religious and cultural tourism circuit linking Janakpur, Lumbini, and Bodh Gaya.
People’s News Monitoring Service
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