Veteran Congress leader and the former MP Karan Singh on Wednesday (15 July) described Nepal Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli's remarks that the birthplace of Lord Ram was in Nepal as “outrageous” and said that his statement will hurt the sentiments of billions of Hindus.

He also asserted that Oli was trying to do whatever he could to widen the distance between India and Nepal.

In a statement, the Congress leader said, “The bizarre statement by Prime Minister Oli that Lord Ram was in fact born in a village in East Nepal and that our Ayodhya is only an artificial concept created by India is indeed mind-boggling.

This outrageous statement will hurt the sentiments of a billion Hindus living not only in India and Nepal, but around the world.”

Oli recently claimed that “real Ayodhya” lies in Nepal and not in India. The Nepal Prime Minister also said that “Lord Ram is Nepali, not Indian”.

Ayodhya is located in Uttar Pradesh, around 135 km from state capital Lucknow.

Hitting out at the Nepal Prime Minister, Singh further said that the statement could have been dismissed as “gymnastics” of a “distorted mind”, except that it came fast on the heels of Oli’s unfortunate unilateral action regarding a territorial dispute with India.

Singh referred to Nepal’s territorial dispute with India when it amended its map, which shows some Indian territory as part of Nepal.

On 13 June, Nepal’s Parliament unanimously adopted the Constitution Amendment Bill, paving the way for accommodating the updated political-administrative map, which includes Indian areas of Kalapani, Lipulekh and Limpiyadhura in its symbol.

“It would appear that he is trying to do whatever he can, even going to the extent of an absurd statement regarding Ayodhya and Sri Ram, to widen the distance between India and Nepal,” the veteran Congress leader said.

He emphasised that right thinking people in both the countries should be aware of this ominous policy and do whatever is possible to recreate the friendly age-old ties between the two countries.

(This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.)

Communist Oli

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