Nepal Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli accuses India of conspiring with his political rival to oust him
Differences between Oli and Nepal Communist Party’s executive chief Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ have emerged at a time when border tension is at a new high.
Nepal Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli on Sunday alleged that India was conspiring with his political rivals to throw him out of power, PTI reported. Oli’s remark came over a week after Nepal approved a bill to redraw the country’s map demarcating the Lipulekh mountain pass, Kalapani and Limpiyadhura – the area at the centre of the dispute between India and Nepal – under its territory.
“Efforts are being made to remove me from power, but that will not succeed,” Oli said during an official gathering. “I have smelt undercurrent movements. There have been various kinds of activities in the embassies and hotels. If you listen to the news media from Delhi, you will get the gesture.”
Oli added that external forces will not be able to hurt Nepal’s interests. “You all must know Nepal’s nationalism is not that weak that outside forces will be able to topple it,” he was quoted as saying by The Indian Express. “We have changed our map and if the prime minister of the country is deposed, then that will be unthinkable to Nepal,” he added, according to The Hindu.
Differences have emerged between Oli and Nepal Communist Party’s Executive Chairperson Pushpa Kamal Dahal “Prachanda” over the party’s leadership. The tensions between the two became evident during a meeting of the party’s Standing Committee. Oli was criticised by his party for skipping two meetings. He briefly attended the third one on Saturday.
Border tensions between Nepal and India have also grown over the past few months. India has objected to Nepal’s move to include Lipulekh mountain pass, Kalapani and Limpiyadhura in its territory and warned the country to not resort to any “artificial enlargement of territorial claims”.
Nepal maintains that India has claimed the disputed region by building the Darchula-Lipulekh link road despite repeated objections. India, on the other hand, said that the road is within its territory.