Ruling Nepali Congress (NC) has issued a statement two weeks after comment by Indian Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi that India is constructing road in Lipu Lekh and taken exception to road expansion by India in the encroached Nepali territory.
Issuing a joint statement on Friday newly elected NC General Secretaries Gagan Thapa and Bishwa Prakash Sharma have said the party's attention has been drawn to Modi's statement and reminded that the party is clear about its position that Kalapani, Lipu Lekh and Limpiyadhura belong to Nepal, Nepal's right to use of the geography should be established and Indian Army should be removed from Kalapani.
"The issue that road is being constructed in Lipu Lekh against the agreement reached in the Nepal-India Joint Commission in a way to reach solution in all questions between the two countries through diplomatic dialogue is serious, objectionable and this should be immediately stopped," the statement reads.
It has also reminded of the age-old relation between the two neighboring countries and pointed that NC is clear that resolution to any border-related issue should be sought through high level diplomacy based on historical facts.
The two general secretaries had reached Baluwatar Friday morning and urged Prime Minister (PM) Sher Bahadur Deuba to make the government's position public on the issue, according to a party source. PM Deuba phoned Foreign Minister Narayan Khadka and Government Spokesperson Gyanendra Bahadur Karki and instructed them to take stock of the issue.
The ruling party then made its position public through the geenral secretaries, the source claims.
Addressing a program at Haldwani of Uttarakhand on December 30, 2021 Modi had said the Indian government is expanding road in Lipu Lekh.
Ruling CPN (Unified Socialist) first issued a statement on Monday and took exception to the road expansion while the main opposition CPN-UML followed suit the next day but ruling NC had not spoken on the issue.
