Koshiyari, who won the recent Lok Sabha election from the Indian state of Uttarakhand, is accompanied by another BJP leader, Ajit Kumar.

Koshiyari began his political career from the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. The visit of the former chief minister of Uttarakhand immediately after a BJP landslide is seen as the party’s effort to engage with Nepal’s political fraternity in the aftermath of Modi’s election as the top executive, said a political leader. It is learnt that the Indian leader will meet Prime Minister Sushil Koirala, CPN-UML Chairman Jhala Nath Khanal and UCPN (Maoist) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal.

Koshiyari, who frequently travels to Kathmandu, was here in December last year.

He had then told media persons that Nepal cannot be declared a Hindu state just because Indian leaders like Modi, Raj Nath Singh and himself so wish.

“The people of Nepal want a constitution through a Constituent Assembly as soon as possible. Nepali will definitely be declared a Hindu state if the people want it.

But it won’t happen just because BJP leaders want it,” he had said in Kathmandu on December 23 last year.

“We want whatever the Nepalis do.”

On Friday in the Capital, Koshiyari and Kumar attended a programme organised by the Patanjali Yogpeeth and Patanjali Yog Samiti. Patanjali said that more than 1,000 people were invited to the event organised to congratulate Modi’s elevation as the Indian PM.

Vice President Parama-nanda Jha, along with Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transpor-tation Bimalendra Nidhi and Indian Ambassador to Nepal Ranjit Rae, was present at the function.  Former Prime Minister Khanal, former president of Non-Resident Nepali Association Upendra Mahato, politicians and entrepreneurs attended the event.