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Will solve misunderstandings through dialogue, says Rajnath Singh
Defence minister Rajnath Singh rejected Nepal’s territorial claims and reiterated India’s stand that the Lipulekh-Dharchula road falls in India.
Defence minister Rajnath Singh said on Monday there was no question of the breaking down of historical, social, and spiritual ties that bind New Delhi and Kathmandu, even as relations between India and Nepal have taken a hit after a new Nepalese map laid claim to territory that belongs to India.
Singh rejected Nepal’s territorial claims and reiterated India’s stand that the Lipulekh-Dharchula road falls in India. He expressed willingness to sort out the “misunderstanding” through dialogue. “If there are some misconceptions over the road between Lipulekh and Dharchula, then we will sit together and solve those issues through dialogue. And I can say this with full confidence that no Indian has any hatred towards Nepal as the relation is so deep,” Singh said during a virtual rally focused on Uttarakhand.
In May, the defence minister inaugurated the road in Uttarakhand’s Pithoragarh district and prompted a strong reaction from Nepal. Kathmandu has maintained that the road passes through its territory. Nepal’s parliament on Saturday voted unanimously to amend its constitution to redraw the country’s political map, which lays claims over the strategically key areas of Lipulekh, Kalapani and Limpiyadhura. India termed the decision “untenable” and in violation of current understanding to hold talks on outstanding border issues.
Singh referred to the war cry “Jai Maha Kali, Ayo Re Gorkhali [hail goddess Mahakali, the Gorkhas are here]” of the Indian Army’s Gorkha regiments, which also draw soldiers from Nepal, and said Maha Kali’s devotees are all over India, emphasising that the ties between India and Nepal can’t break.
He referred to the valour and courage that Gorkha soldiers have displayed for the country. “India-Nepal ties are not ordinary. We have a relation... which cannot be broken by any power of the world,” said Singh, referring to strong people-to-people connect between the two countries.
“We do not have just geographical, historical, or social relations with Nepal but also spiritual ones. Who can forget Baba Pashupatinath? How can he be separated from Baba Amarnath, Somnath, and Kashi Vishwanath?” he asked.
One person was killed and two wounded on Friday when Nepal’s Armed Police Force fired upon a group of Indian villagers near Bihar’s Sitamarhi for allegedly entering Nepal in violation of the lockdown there.
At the event, Singh also praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his leadership in the fight against the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic. “PM Modi took the difficult challenge of fighting the pandemic and so far has taken many bold and crucial decisions to contain it. Those efforts have not only been lauded by the other countries but also by WHO [the World Health Organization],” he said.
He said the government has strengthened the health infrastructure within a short time. “...we are now not only producing PPE [personal protection equipment] kits for our health workers but are exporting them. We are sure that together we will soon win this fight.”
