India has said that it is not aware of protests being held in Nepal against the mural of “Akhanda Bharat” (undivided India) in its new parliament building.
Addressing a weekly media briefing on Friday, spokesperson for India’s Ministry of External Affairs Arindam Bagchi said that the Nepali delegation led by Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal did not raise the issue during the talks held on Thursday.
“This question was asked yesterday in the context of the foreign secretary’s briefing on Nepalese prime minister’s visit, and whether this was raised. It wasn’t raised,” Bagchi said. “So I don’t know if the protests are still going on. Certainly the Nepalese side did not raise it.”
“The mural in question depicts the spread of the Ashokan empire and the idea of responsible and people-oriented governance that he adopted and propagated. That’s what the mural and the plaque in front of the mural says. And I really don’t have anything further to add to that,” Bagchi clarified. “I’m certainly not going to comment on statements that other political leaders might have made.”
He said that he was also not aware of any official protest from Pakistan regarding the mural.
“I haven’t seen any official protest from Pakistan, at least. Maybe I just missed it, maybe it’s come today. But I don’t know if it’s official protest or not,” Bagchi said.
The mural of “Akhanda Bharat” in India’s new parliament building has been met with protests in Nepal as it also includes Kapilvastu and Lumbini.
