Kathmandu, Sep 1: Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal “Prachanda” during his upcoming visit to China will take up the matter pertaining to the country’s newly issued map that shows Kalapani, Limpiyadhura and Lipulekh as Indian territories, a senior leader of the ruling coalition partner CPN- Maoist Centre said on Friday.
Speaking to reporters, CPN-Maoist Centre spokesperson Agni Sapkota said that the matter relating to the map issued by China this week needs to be raised through diplomatic channels during the visit.
Prime Minister Prachanda will be leaving Kathmandu on September 15 for a visit to the USA and later to China.
“Prime Minister and party chairman Pushpakamal Dahal Prachanda will discuss the matter with the Chinese leadership during his upcoming visit to China. The matter relating to the map issued by China needs to be raised through diplomatic channels during the visit,” he said.
Relations between New Delhi and Kathmandu were strained on several occasions after Nepal published a new political map in 2020 that showed three Indian territories – Limpiyadhura, Kalapani and Lipulekh – as part of Nepal.
In the same year, then-president Bidya Devi Bhandari signed a Constitution amendment bill to update the country’s new political map, which incorporated three strategically important Indian areas, hours after the Parliament approved it.
India reacted sharply, calling it a “unilateral act” and cautioned Kathmandu that such “artificial enlargement” of territorial claims would not be acceptable to it. (PTI)
