India side-steps issues in Nepal border row

India’s move was perceived in diplomatic circles as an effort to dial down tensions that have spiralled with Nepal in the recent days.

The external affairs ministry on Thursday side-stepped issues that have complicated a border row with Nepal, holding up the importance of long-standing bilateral relations and ongoing cooperation amid the Covid-19 crisis.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi with his Nepalese counterpart Khadga Prasad Oli in New Delhi in April 2018.(Sonu Mehta/HT PHOTO)

The move was perceived in diplomatic circles as an effort to dial down tensions that have spiralled in recent days, after the KP Sharma Oli government in Kathmandu tabled a constitutional amendment in Parliament to give legal backing to a political map that depicts the regions of Lipulekh, Kalapani and Limpiyadhura as Nepalese territory.

Asked at a weekly news briefing why India hadn’t responded to Nepal’s overtures for talks on the border dispute and Oli’s criticism of “threatening” remarks by Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath, external affairs ministry spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said: “We have already made our position clear on these issues.”

India, Srivastava added, deeply values its ties with Nepal. “India has been reaching out to friendly neighbouring countries, including Nepal, in line with the prime minister’s initiative to chart out a common strategy to combat Covid in the region.”

Srivastava said India had supplied 25 tonnes of medical aid to Nepal.