[splco_heading size=”15″ align=”left” margin=”30″]Nepal Prime Minister KP Oli in his parliament speech said that the (corona)virus from India “looks more lethal” than Chinese and Italian one sends shock waves to Indian External affairs ministry sources[/splco_heading]
In his first address in parliament after the coronavirus outbreak, Oli on Tuesday said, “those who are coming from India through illegal channels are spreading the virus in the country and some local representatives and party leaders are responsible for bringing in people from India without proper testing.”
“It has become very difficult to contain COVID-19 due to the flow of people from outside. Indian virus looks more lethal than Chinese and Italian now. More are getting infected,” Nepal PM added.
His comments almost immediately after a controversy erupted on the new map that Nepali cabinet has approved have reportedly perplexed New Delhi and have outraged Diplomatic Foreign affairs officials in India.
“Nepal would “bring back at any cost “the Kalapani-Limpiyadhura-Lipulekh area, which is part of Indian territory”, PM Oli said in the same speech.
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Indian PM Modi meet Nepal PM Oil
Recently the Nepal cabinet has incorporated in its new political map the areas of Limpiyadhura, Lipulekh and Kalapani which are part of the Indian territory.
Nepal claims right on Lipulekh Pass on the basis of 1816 Treaty of Sugauli entered with the British colonial rulers to define its western border with India.
India and Nepal share a 1,800 km (1,118-mile) open border.
Nepal had registered its protest after India inaugurated a new road on May 8 connecting the Lipulekh pass in Uttarakhand with the Kailash Mansarovar route in China.
The road going through Uttarakhand’s Pithoragarh district “lies completely within the territory of India, India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had argued.
Under the present project, the same road has been made pliable for the ease and convenience of pilgrims, locals, and traders,” Indian foreign ministry said.
Army Chief Gen MM Naravane last week said Nepal objected to the newly-inaugurated road at the behest of “someone else”, in an apparent reference to a possible instigation by China on the matter. Nepal rejected the comments.
The Lipulekh pass is a far western point near Kalapani, a disputed border area between Nepal and India.
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Both India and Nepal claim Kalapani as an integral part of their territory.
It was not clear whether Gen Naravane will visit Nepal soon, following a tradition of the new Indian Army Chief visiting Nepal after taking charge.
His predecessor Gen Bipin Rawat visited Nepal less than three months after taking charge during which he was conferred the title of honorary general of the Nepalese Army.
There is a custom of honouring the army chiefs of Nepal and India by each other keeping with the traditional friendly ties.
China on Tuesday said the Kalapani issue is between India and Nepal and hoped that the two neighbours would refrain from “unilateral actions” and properly resolve their disputes through friendly consultations.
The 80-km-long strategically crucial road at a height of 17,000 km along the border with China in Uttarakhand was thrown open by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on May 8.
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