Nepal-India ties unbreakable, says Indian Defense Minister Singh
KATHMANDU, June 15: Defense Minister of India Rajnath Singh Monday said that the bilateral ties between Nepal and India are unbreakable, according to India media reports.
Singh’s remarks come after the parliament of Nepal on Saturday unanimously passed the new Nepal map that includes the territories of Kalapani, Lipulekh and Limpiyadhura inside Nepali border.
Nepal has consistently maintained that these areas fall inside Nepali border based on the Sugauli Treaty 1816, which India has also claimed as its own.
Nepal released its new map on May 20 revising its territories in response to India’s opening of a link road to Lipulekh pass on May 18. But India has refused to accept the revised Nepal map saying it as “unilateral act” and “based on artificial claims”.
“Our army has Gorkha Regiment whose soldiers have displayed valor and courage on numerous times for the country. Its war cry is ‘Jai Maha Kali, Ayo Re Gorkhali’ and Maha Kali is also in Kolkata, Kamakhya and Vindhyachal with devotees all around India. Then how can the ties between the two countries break?” The Hindustan Times quoted Singh in his address to BJP members of Garhwal division in Uttarakhand.
“Indo-Nepal ties are not an ordinary one. We have a relation of ‘Roti and Beti’ which cannot be broken by any power of the world,” he added.
Singh also highlighted the ties between two countries as “spiritual” as the two countries share “not only geographical, historical or social relations but a spiritual one as well”.
“Who can forget Baba Pashupatinath? How can he be separated from Baba Amarnath, Somnath and Kashi Vishwanath? This relation is not from this world but a totally another world,” he said.
Singh further said that the misconceptions on Lipulekh on Nepal’s party “would be resolved through dialogue.”
“If there are some misconceptions on the road between Lipulekh and Dharchula among Nepal’s people, 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 between us,” he said.