Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) chair Rabi Lamichhane on Friday said his visit to India was for personal and religious reasons, urging people not to attach political significance to the trip.
Lamichhane, who flew from Kathmandu to Dhangadhi in Kailali on Friday morning, said he had vowed while in prison to visit Kainchi Dham, a temple complex in Nainital, Uttarakhand, and was now travelling to fulfil that promise.
“This is a personal visit. I had planned to go there earlier. My family is also spiritually inclined, and religious faith has always been important to us,” he told reporters at Dhangadhi airport. “I made this vow while I was in prison, and I want to fulfil it.”
Asked why he had chosen Kainchi Dham and the Kamakhya temple in Guwahati, Assam, Lamichhane reiterated that the trip was intended to fulfil his vow and had no political agenda.
“There are no political meetings planned. Since this is a personal visit, I urge people not to read politics into it,” he said, calling on them to distinguish between his personal travel and political engagements.
Questions had been raised about the timing of his visit, as Finance Minister Swarnim Wagle was also in India. Lamichhane dismissed suggestions that his trip was connected to political developments, saying it was driven by religious faith and family beliefs.
Land Management and Cooperatives Minister Pratibha Rawal and lawmaker Deepak Bohara were also seen with Lamichhane at Dhangadhi airport.
Lamichhane flew to Dhangadhi with his wife, Nikita, on Friday morning. After landing, he travelled by road towards Kanchanpur and is set to enter India through the Gaddachauki border crossing.
The family plans to offer prayers at Kainchi Dham, associated with spiritual teacher Neem Karoli Baba, in Uttarakhand, and at the Kamakhya temple in Guwahati, Assam.