The Indian Embassy in Nepal on Saturday stated that India is ready to address an ongoing border dispute with Nepal through talks after Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that India was paving the way for Lipulekh area.
The outrage began after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during an election rally in the Haldwani area of Uttarakhand on December 30, had announced that his government has extended a road to Lipulekh and further expansion work is going on.
The Indian Embassy issued a statement on the ongoing high political activity in Kathmandu, with ruling and opposition leaders urging the Nepal government to take a more forceful stance on the latest development along the border with India.
“The Government of India’s position on the India-Nepal boundary is well known, consistent, and unambiguous. It has been communicated to the Government of Nepal,” the statement said.
Nepal has called the construction of the road by India a “unilateral” action.
“It is our view that the established inter-governmental mechanisms and channels are most appropriate for communication and dialogue. Mutually agreed boundary issues that are outstanding can always be addressed in the spirit of our close and friendly bilateral relations,” the embassy added.
Lipulekh lies at the tri-junction between India’s northern Uttarakhand state, China and Nepal. Nepal says that the Lipulekh area where India expanding roads belongs to Nepal as several pieces of historical facts and evidence show Nepalese territories.
Major political parties in Nepal have issued statements objecting to India’s expansion of roads in Lipulekh.
Earlier, the ruling Nepali Congress issued a statement and demanded India to immediately withdraw its troops stationed in the Kalapani region and amicably resolve the border row through high-level diplomatic negotiation based on historical facts and evidence.
“Nepali Congress is clear that Lipulekh, Limpiyadhura, and Kalapani are Nepalese territories. The issue of the road construction in Lipulekh against the agreement reached at the Nepal-India Joint Commission to resolve all bilateral issues through diplomatic negotiations is objectionable and this must be stopped immediately,” the statement said.
Calls are now growing from within the ruling alliance, from Deuba’s Nepali Congress and his coalition partners, to speak up and lodge a protest with India on Modi’s recent statement.
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