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Kathmandu mayor Balen Shah who installed Greater Nepal map in office opposes Adipurush | Explained
A few days ago, Kathmandu mayor Balen Shah installed Greater Nepal map in his office to counter India's Akhand Bharat mural in the new Parliament building.
Kathmandu Metropolitan City mayor Balen Shah has threatened a ban on Indian Bollywood films in Nepal's capital Kathmandu as he took offence over Prabhas-starrer Adipurush for a now-deleted dialogue of the movie that Janaki (Sita) is India's daughter. Giving a three-day deadline, the mayor tweeted that Sita is Nepal's daughter and not India's. The dialogue was reportedly edited and Prabhas and Kriti Sanon's Adipurush got a go-ahead by Nepal's Censor board but the morning shows were cancelled in the neighbouring country owing to law and order concerns.
The row over Adipursh's dialogue comes close on the heels of Nepali politicians criticising the Akhand Bharat mural in the new Parliament building of India as the mural showed Lord Buddha's birthplace Lumbini which is in Nepal. Foreign minister S Jaishankar said it was not a political map but a cultural one showing the extent of the Ashokan empire and a friendly country like Nepal would understand it, unlike Pakistan.
Kathmandu mayor in 'Greater Nepal' row
Balen Shah was at the centre of the row that was triggered in Nepal over Parliament's Akhand Bharat mural as he installed a Greater Nepal map in his office in an offensive to the Akhand Bharat mural. The Greater Nepal map is not an official map but Kathmandu Post reported that the mayor ordered his aide to put the map in his office to spread a positive vibe of nationalism, to remember the proud history of Nepal.
Who is Kathmandu mayor Balen Shah?
Even before becoming the mayor, 33-year-old Balen Shah was a well-known figure in Nepal as a rapper. He won the mayoral election in 2022 as an independent candidate and thus became the first independent candidate to be elected as the mayor of the Kathmandu municipality.
Controversies over Adipurush
Om Raut's Adipurush has remained mired in controversies since the teaser of the movie was launched last year. Ayodhya Ram Temple head priest Satyendra Das criticised the portrayal of Ram, Sita in the teaser. The Vishva Hindu Parishad objected to the teaser last year. The makers took extra care to not hurt the sentiments before the release of the movie as Om Raut asked producers to reserve an empty seat in every theatre to honour Lord Hanuman.
