By Our Reporter
How the Narendra Modi-led government of India is undermining Nepal’s sovereignty and is playing with the sentiments of Nepali people has been exposed again after Modi openly announced to build a road in the Nepali territory of Lipulek.
Addressing an election rally in Haldwani, Uttarakhand, on December 30 last year, Indian Prime Minister Modi said that India had already extended a road to Lipulek and further expansion work was underway.
What Modi said was a direct attack on the sovereignty of Nepal. India moved to build the road in Nepali territory at a time when Nepal has been waiting for the Indian response to the diplomatic notes sent by India in the past regarding the construction of the road and a meeting of the Nepal-India joint commission.
India has been occupying Nepali territory in western Nepal since 1962. Although Nepal, of late, has been raising the issue strongly, India has been ignoring this and carrying infrastructure works there.
Surprisingly, the government of Nepal has remained silent over the serious issue. Even the main opposition party CPN-UML, which boasts of issuing a new political map including all Nepali territory, kept mom for 12 days on the remarks of Modi. Only on Tuesday, UML issued a statement condemning the Indian move.
Issuing a statement on Tuesday, Rajan Bhattarai, chief of the UML’s Foreign Affairs Department, condemned the move of India to expand Lipulek road to Kailash Manasarovar.
The structure was built against the agreement reached between the two countries during the meeting of the Nepal-India joint commission held to resolve issues, including border dispute through the diplomatic channel, his statement read.
The statement also recalled that Kalapani, Lipulek and Limpiyadhura are an integral part of Nepal, and the political map was made public last year incorporating these territories.
UML has also called for the immediate halting of road construction and other activities that threaten Nepal’s sovereignty, geographical integrity and dignity.
Earlier, former prime minister and senior leader of the CPN (Unified Socialist) Jhalanath Khanal had strongly condemned the incident.
Issuing a statement on Monday, Khanal said, “The attention of our party is drawn to the recent statement by the Indian Prime Minister that the road, illegally built in the Nepali territory of Lipulek, will be further widened.”
Stating that the Indian government is well aware that the area of Lipulek, Kalapani and Limpiyadhura are the sovereign territory of Nepal, Khanal said, “Any development activity conducted without consulting with Nepali government is totally illegal and a flagrant violation of our territorial integrity and national sovereignty.”
He further said that his party strongly condemned the ongoing road construction by violating Nepal’s territorial integrity and provocative statements made by the Indian leaders.
Khanal also appealed to the government to take necessary measures to protect Nepal’s territory on the border.
Earlier in May 2020, Nepal had protested when Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh virtually inaugurated a new road constructed in Lipulekh and called on India to refrain from carrying out any activity on Nepali territory.
Following strong protests and criticism, the government of Nepal eventually published a new political map incorporating all the disputed territories including Lipulek, Limpiyadhura and Kalapani.
The government of Nepal had tried to hold bilateral talks to resolve the boundary disputes diplomatically.
However, the Indian government did not show any interest and said that they were occupied with COVID-19 and once both nations overcame the pandemic formal talks could begin. But now instead of holding talks, India has been busy expanding roads in Nepal’s territory.
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