Former Nepal PM Oli says ‘will take back’ Kalapani, Limpiyadhura and Lipulekh territories from India

Former Nepal prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has vowed to “take back” Kalapani, Limpiyadhura and Lipulekh territories from India if his party comes to power.

Lipulekh is Himalayan pass located at a western point near Kalapani, a disputed border area between Nepal and India.

India and Nepal claim Kalapani as an integral part of their territory — India as part of Himalayan Uttarakhand state’s Pithoragarh district and Nepal as part of Dharchula district.

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Inaugurating the 10th general convention of the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist) in Chitwan, 160 km south of Kathmandu, Oli on Friday claimed that they will “take back the disputed territories such as Limpiyadhura, Kalapani and Lipulek from India through dialogue” if his party comes back to power.

"We are for resolving problems through dialogue and not for enmity with neighbours," he added.

The ties between Nepal and India turned south after New Delhi in November 2019 published a revised political map showing the newly created Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. The map showed the three territories as part of Pithoragarh district, prompting protest from Nepal.

Also read | Map move: Why is Nepal provoking India?

The diplomatic ties between the nations further worsened after India inaugurated a road linking Kailash Mansarovar via Lipulekh on May 8, 2020.

Nepal protested the inauguration of the road claiming that it passed through their territory. Days later, Nepal came out with its own new map showing Lipulekh, Kalapani and Limpiyadhura as its territories. India reacted sharply to the move.

In June last year, Nepal's Parliament approved the new political map of the country featuring areas which India maintains belong to it.

After Nepal released the map, India reacted sharply, calling it a "unilateral act" and cautioned that such "artificial enlargement" of territorial claims will not be acceptable to it.

(With inputs from agencies)