New low in India-Nepal relations as anger over border road, coronavirus comes to a head

Nepal’s PM has blamed India for the spread of Covid-19 in his country and accused Delhi of building a road that encroaches on Kathmandu’s territory

India’s army chief said that Nepal’s objections to the road, which connects the disputed India-China border, were at ‘the behest of someone else’

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A health worker checks the temperature of Nepal’s Prime Minister K.P. Oli as he arrives at the parliament in Kathmandu. Photo: AFP

Published: 3:10pm, 21 May 2020Updated: 8:22pm, 21 May 2020

Nepal’s Prime Minister K.P. Oli has blamed India for the spread of coronavirus in his country and accused New Delhi of building a road that encroaches on the Himalayan nation’s territory, marking a new low in bilateral relations between the traditional allies.

Nepal has approved a new political map demarcating the Lipulekh mountain pass, Kalapani and Limpiyadhura – places it says India has claimed by building a road despite repeated objections, Press Trust of India reported citing Foreign Minister Pradeep Kumar Gyawali.

Ruling Nepal Communist Party lawmakers have also tabled a special resolution in Parliament demanding the return of Nepal’s territory in Kalapani, Limpiyadhura and Lipulekh, the report said.

Oli has been under intense pressure from student groups and lawmakers to issue the new map since India opened the 80km long road linking the northern state of Uttarakhand with Lipulekh on the border with Tibet.

Nepali officials said the new map will be printed in school and college text books and official documents and will be used for all administrative purposes.

Oli told the Parliament on Wednesday his government would “bring back at any cost” the three territories, before blaming India for the spread of coronavirus in his country, NDTV reported, citing a video tweeted by Nepal’s government.