The delegation, led by veteran Nepali leader Daman Nath Dhungana, also includes former diplomat Vijay Kant Karma, and activists Narayan Shah, Dipendra Jha, Shankar Limbu and Krishna Chaudhury. Nepali sources told The Hindu that courtesies extended to the delegation showed that India is willing to engage with multiple Madhesi alliances.

However, the Ministry of External Affairs called the ongoing outreach a part of the normal exchange between India and Nepal. “We believe in maintaining contacts across the political spectrum of Nepal and our current interaction is part of that process. We have welcomed the amendments and we support internal dialogue to continue in Nepal. There are no conflicting strands in our policy on Nepal,” said official spokesperson Vikas Swarup on Thursday, arguing in favour of engaging all sections of political class of Nepal’s Madhes region.

The United Madhesi Democratic Front (UMDF), which has been at the forefront of the agitation for the last six months and has welcomed the amendments introduced on January 24, has been challenged by radicals who have accused it of compromise.