Kathmandu: Foreign Minister of Nepal Dr Arzu Rana Deuba shows a special regard for certain Indian leaders. In 2021, she tied a rakhi to Dr Vijay Chauthaiwale, the Bharatiya Janata Party’s chief of foreign affairs, when he visited Nepal.
This was the time when her husband, Sher Bahadur Deuba, had become the prime minister after the Supreme Court invalidated the move of KP Sharma Oli to dissolve parliament and ordered Mr Deuba be appointed the PM—his sixth term then. Oli, whom Congress lobby projected as being close to China and opposed to India, was gone and entire Congress fraternity was invested in impressing the Indian side that with Deuba in Singha Durbar India has found a ‘friend in need’ in Nepal.
Arzu Deuba’s offering rakhi to Chauthaiwale was explained by the ruling parties back then as her efforts to bring Nepal-India ties back on track through ‘rakhi’ diplomacy. In the days that followed, Arzu Rana showed herself as a trusted leader for BJP in Nepal.
Arzu Rana, who was considered as the de facto PM during Deuba’s premiership and who also faces allegations of corruption, became the foreign minister—the second female foreign minister of Nepal—after Nepali Congress and CPN-UML cobbled a coalition in July to oust the government led by Pushpa Kamal Dahal.
Rana is in India visit at the moment. While some reports say Deuba will tie the rakhi to Chauthaiwale on the day of Rakshya Bandhan (on Monday), as of this writing, this has not been known. Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson at the Ministry of External Affairs of India, says that her official visit to India marks the continuation “of regular high-level India-Nepal bilateral exchanges and is a testament to the unique & close relationship between the two countries.”
The MEA said on Saturday that her official visit to India at the invitation of Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is “in keeping with the tradition of regular high-level exchanges between India and Nepal.” “Nepal is a priority partner of India in its Neighbourhood First policy. The forthcoming visit will provide both sides an opportunity to discuss and review the progress in bilateral cooperation and help in advancing our ties further,” MEA further said in its statement on Saturday.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Nepal on Saturday mentioned that during the visit she will hold meetings with her Indian counterpart S Jaishankar and “discuss matters of mutual interests for further strengthening Nepal-India relations and promoting cooperation.” “This visit will further consolidate the age-old, deep and multifaceted bilateral relations,” said MoFA.
Meanwhile, Arzu Rana has held a meeting with her Indian counterpart S Jaishankar in New Delhi on Saturday. Rana mentioned in her social media account X that she and Jaishankar “discussed bilateral interests, various aspects of Nepal-India relations, and the exchange of mutual cooperation.” “I am confident this visit will further strengthen the centuries-old bond between Nepal and India,” she wrote.
Rana is scheduled to return to Kathmandu on August 22.
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