‘Those coming from India through illegal channels spreading coronavirus in Nepal’
‘Will bring back the territory at any cost’
After a dispute over territory with India, Nepal Prime Minister KP Oli has said that Virus from India “looks more lethal” than Chinese and Italian. Oli made the comments in a speech in the parliament, blaming India for the spread of coronavirus cases in his country.
“Those who are coming from India through illegal channels are spreading the virus in the country and some local representatives and party leaders are responsible for bringing in people from India without proper testing,” Mr Oli said in his speech in Tuesday, his first in parliament since a major health scare.
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 told the Parliament 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.
India has nearly 107,000 confirmed virus cases, while Nepal has 402, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
This unilateral act is not based on historical facts and evidence, Anurag Srivastava, India’s foreign ministry spokesman said in a statement. “We urge the government of Nepal to refrain from such unjustified cartographic assertion and respect India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” the statement added.
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