The Prime Minister of Nepal sends greetings to Dasara using an old map without Indian territory.
After months of a simmering dispute with India over the Kalapani issue, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli indicated a softer line on Friday when he used an old map of Nepal to greet everyone at the Vijaya Dashami festival. The old map does not show the Kalapani-Lipulekh-Limpiyadhura region, which is part of the Pithoragarh district in India.
However, the triangular piece of land is shown as part of Nepalese sovereign territory on the new map, which was unveiled on May 20 and became part of the Nepalese state insignia through an amendment on June 13.
Prime Minister Oli’s use of the Nepalese national insignia bearing the ancient map has drawn strong reactions from Kathmandu’s political class, with leaders expressing surprise at the use of the ancient map during Dasara, which is the country’s largest festival. of the Himalayas.
“Prime Minister Oli, at his individual level, can use any map of Nepal he wants, but as Prime Minister of Nepal, he should have used the national map of Nepal that was approved by Parliament and dedicated to the Nepalese people,” Bishwaprakash said. Sharma. , spokesperson for the Nepali Opposition Congress, speaking with The Hindu by phone.
Mr. Sharma said that Mr. Oli has undermined Parliament by not using the new map.
Acute reactions
The use of the ancient map also sparked strong reactions on social media, with Nepalese users connecting the move to Thursday’s discussion between Oli and Samant Kumar Goel, head of the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW), the foreign intelligence wing of India.
Nepalese publication Myrepublica reported that Mr. Goel led a nine-member delegation. The visit drew attention, as it occurred a fortnight before the scheduled visit to Nepal by General Manoj Mukund Naravane, the chief of the Indian army.
Since the presentation of the new map and the amendment in Parliament that gave it legal status, Nepal has not backtracked on its demands on Kalapani-Lipulekh-Limpiyadhura. Mr. Oli has spoken by phone with Prime Minister Modi, but so far no meeting of the border mechanism has been held to discuss the issue.
Meanwhile, Mr. Oli has tightened his grip on the Nepalese government and has resisted the challenges of his rivals in the Standing Committee of the Communist Party of Nepal (NCP).
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