New Delhi (NVI): The Upper House of Nepal’s parliament today passed a constitution amendment bill to update its map incorporating three Indian territories, a move that may further escalate tensions between the two countries on the border issue.
According to reports, all 57 members in Nepal’s Upper House voted in support of the bill. The amendment had been passed by 258 votes in the lower house on April 13.
The constitutional amendment will give legal backing to a new map that depicts Kalapani region as part of Nepalese territory. Relations between the two countries turned sour recently after Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated the 80-km long road connecting the Lipulekh pass with Dharchula in Uttarakhand.
After the inauguration of the new road on May 8, Kathmandu had lodged a protest with New Delhi and came out with a new map showing Lipulekh, Kalapani and Limpiyadhura as its territories.
After Nepal’s protest, the Ministry of External Affairs had said that the road is “completely within its territory.” The 8–km road would reduce the Kailash Mansarovar yatra by six days.
Nepal’s action comes amid the ongoing India-China border face-off in Ladakh. At least 20 Indian soldiers were killed in the violent clashes with the Chinese army at Galwan Valley in Ladakh on Monday night.
However, India on Monday said that the onus is on the KP Sharma Oli government now to create a “positive and conducive atmosphere” for talks to resolve the row over the Kalapani-Lipulekh region.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, in a virtual rally for Uttarakhand on Monday, had said that the Indian government believed in sorting out the “misunderstanding” in relations with Nepal through dialogue.
Highlighting the deep cultural and civilisational ties with Nepal, Singh had said that India and Nepal were bound together by “Roti and Beti” and no power in the world would break it.
-ARK
