The Upper House of Nepal’s Parliament passed the constitutional amendment backing the New Map Amendment Bill(Coat of Arms) unanimously. All the 57 members of the upper house voted in favor of the bill. The New map amendment bill proposes the inclusion of three Indian territories into Nepal’s updated map.
As per reports, on Sunday, Nepal’s parliament had called for a discussion on the amendment bill that includes the Indian territories. On June 13, Nepal’s lower house of parliament passed the amendment to include a new map including Indian areas of Limpiyadhura, Lipulekh, and Kalapani in the constitution of the country. The bill was supported by all the 258 lawmakers present there in the house.
As per latest reports, Nepal’s President Bidhya Devi Bhandari has given her approval to the new bill, making it a part of Nepal’s constitution.
#BREAKING: Presidential assent given to the new Nepal Amendment Bill (Coat of Arms) which shows strategically important Indian territories as part of Nepal. (New diplomatic standoff begins between India and Nepal. Oli has committed a big strategic blunder to be in power.) https://t.co/FNMw8tdZPf pic.twitter.com/ibOK2rxxFP
— Aditya Raj Kaul (@AdityaRajKaul) June 18, 2020
MEA India responded to the developments
The Ministry of External Affairs responded to the passing of the constitutional amendment bill in Nepal’s Parliament to update the country’s political map including the areas that come under India’s territory. The Ministry said that artificial enlargement of the map is not based on historical facts, hence it is not tenable.
The MEA spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said, “This artificial enlargement of claims is not based on historical facts or evidence and is not tenable. It is also violative of our current understanding to hold talks on the outstanding boundary issue.”
Respnding to media questions over today’s development, the MEA has stated that their stand remains the same.
The proposal came after Defence Minister inaugurated link road to Lipulekh
The KP Sharma Oli government in Nepal brought in the proposal to alter their map after the Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated a link road on May 8 linking the Kailash Mansarovar route in Pithoragarh in Uttarakhand to Lipulekh.
The foreign ministry of Nepal had issued a press release voicing their protest against the move, claiming the link road passed through Nepali territory. However, India rejected the claims, saying “the link road lies completely within the territory of India”.
