Foreign Minister Arzu Rana Deuba said on Friday that she did not find any indication of India’s intention to replace the current government of Nepal.

In response to a question from a journalist, she clarified that India always supports the democratic system in Nepal. When asked about recent political developments in Nepal, she said, "There has been no discussion on this matter in India, but we can see that India wants Nepal to maintain its democratic system."

At a time when speculations are rife that New Delhi was not happy with the government of KP Oli, Foreign Minister Deuba, who returned from New Delhi after an 11-day visit, also stated that she did not discuss Nepal’s internal affairs much while in India.

“I did not hold that much political discussion in New Delhi but what I found is that India supports the democratic political system in Nepal,” she told reporters upon her arrival from New Delhi.

She undertook pilgrimages to Baba Baidyanath Dham in Jharkhand, participated in Raisina Dialogue, held talks with her Indian counterpart, S Jaishankar and also did the follow up of her multiple surgeries.

“We did not discuss that much of the internal political activities of Nepal. But one thing we have to understand is that India supports the democratic system in Nepal, which is evident from their activities. The Indian side is very much engaged with the present government … their power ministry, energy ministry, foreign ministry are actively working with us. So I did not find any intention to change the government or the present system,” said Deuba.

On March 9, thousands of monarchy supporters gathered at Kathmandu airport to welcome former king Gyanendra Shah upon his arrival from Pokhara. From the airport, the crowd escorted the former king’s motorcade to his residence in Maharajgunj. The unexpected size of the crowd that day sent ripples through Kathmandu’s political scene, and some leaders even speculated that government change might be possible citing Prime Minister Oli’s failure to deliver on public expectations. Dozens of pro-monarchy and pro-Hindu groups have come together to organise similar demonstrations in the days to come.

Some experts and observers in Nepal and India suspect Indian involvement in the surge of pro-monarchy and pro-Hindu demonstrations in Nepal.

Talking to the Post in New Delhi on March 18, the foreign minister had said the Indian establishment has distanced itself from these demonstrations. Referring to her meetings with Jaishankar, Deuba said India has denied any connection to the royalist movement in Nepal.

In Kathmandu, she also clarified that she had not sought a meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during this visit. “As a counterpart, I looked for a meeting with Jaishankar ji but did not seek a meeting with Modi ji,” she said.

Deuba claimed that her visit was fruitful in boosting diplomatic relations. She said, “I made efforts to ensure the continuity of electricity imports from India.”

“Specifically, I requested an increase in the amount of electricity supplied to Nepal through the Indian Energy Exchange, in accordance with the existing bilateral agreement between Nepal and India.”

During the visit, she also held separate meetings with the deputy prime minister and foreign minister of Moldova, foreign ministers of Georgia, Ukraine, and the Philippines, and a senior director of the National Security Council of the US. These meetings took place on the sidelines of Raisina Dialogue in Delhi.

During her meeting with Senior Director of the US National Security Council Ricky Gill, she urged the US to continue its assistance to Nepal and facilitate the safe release of Nepalese citizen Bipin Joshi, who is believed to be in Hamas captivity since October 7, 2023. Additionally, she informed that during her meeting with her Ukrainian counterpart, she requested the release of seven Nepali nationals who are currently held as prisoners of war in Ukraine.

Foreign Minister Deuba also mentioned that preparations are ongoing for a visit to India by Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli. She said, ‘We are preparing the agenda for the prime minister's visit. Just meeting and taking photos won’t be enough. We are seriously working in various areas.”