By Our Reporter
India has objected to the Nepal government’s decision to print 100 rupee banknotes featuring the country’s new map that shows the areas of Kalapani, Lipulek and Limpiyadhura as part of Nepali territory.
A Cabinet meeting held last week approved the proposal to print new 100 rupee banknotes replacing the old map of Nepal in the background of the notes’ front face with the country’s new map.
However, India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar expressed displeasure at Nepal’s decision, terming it unilateral. He said that while both countries were having talks on boundary matters, Nepal was not going to change the ground reality by taking unilateral measures.
“I saw that report. I have not looked at it in detail, but I think our position is very clear. With Nepal, we were having discussions about our boundary matters through an established platform. And then in the middle of that, they unilaterally took some measures on their side. But by doing something on their side, they are not going to change the situation between us or the reality on the ground,” Jaishankar said as quoted by the Indian media.
On May 20, 2020, the Nepal government issued a new political map of the country incorporating the areas of Kalapani, Lipulek and Limpiyadhura as part of Nepali territory.
India had taken a strong exception to the decision, calling it a “unilateral act” and terming as “untenable” the “artificial enlargement” of the territorial claims by Nepal.
India has been claiming that the areas fall in Indian territory, However, historical evidence shows otherwise. Kalapani, Lipulek and Limpiyadhura areas were in Nepal till the India-China War of 1962. But when India was allowed to station its army in the area during the war, India denied vacating it.
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