Kathmandu: It may sound like the mix up of Survey nos in an RTC. But this is more serious. The Lower House of Nepal’s Parliament on Saturday unanimously passed what was for the Nepalis, a historic Second Constitution Amendment Bill providing legal status for an updated political map of Nepal which includes India’s territories in Uttarakhand’s Pithoragarh district. The Pratinidhi Sabha (House of Representatives) held day-long deliberations before the vote. The voting showed that members from all the political parties of the Pratinidhi Sabha voted in favor of the motion moved by the government of Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli. Apart from the ruling Nepal Communist Party, the amendment received the support of the Nepali Congress and the newly formed Janata Samajvadi Party-Nepal. During the debate, the Co-chair of the Nepal Communist Party Pushpa Kamal Dahal “Prachanda” praised Nepalese democracy, which, he said, is reversing centuries of diplomatic humiliation.
The total votes cast in favor were 258 and no one voted against the bill through 11 members remained absent or abstained. It is not clear yet why they did not vote. Four members including Bijaya Kumar Gachchhadar, the leading figure of the indigenous Tharu community, have been suspended and could not participate in the proceedings.
“I hereby declare the Second Constitution Amendment passed with a two-thirds majority,” Speaker of the Pratinidhi Sabha Agni Sapkota announced amidst celebrations.
Immediately after the passing of the bill, Nepal’s senior officials began sending out social media messages which indicated the diplomatic angle of the territorial dispute.
“The House of Representatives (Pratinidhi Sabha) unanimously adopted the Constitution Amendment Bill, paving the way for accommodating the updated political-administrative map in the national emblem,” said Foreign Minister Pradeep Gyawali, who also attached an image of the Coat of Arms showing the new map, including Indian territories.
It is not clear what China’s role is in this territorial dispute.
Background:
Nepal claims the land to the east of river Kali, which forms the country’s western border. As per Kathmandu’s understanding, the river originates from Limpiyadhura in the higher Himalayas, giving it access to a triangular-shaped land defined by Limpiyadhura-Lipulekh and Kalapani. India opposes the notion and says the origin of the river is much further down, which reduces Nepal’s territorial demand.
Nepal unveiled the new map on May 20 after Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated Darchula-Lipulekh link road on May 8. Nepal had earlier strongly protested when the updated Indian map published in November last year showed the region as part of Uttarakhand.
Nepal claims right to the region and says India was allowed to station troops there in the 1950s and that Delhi has refused to remove forces from the region ever since. Nepal’s Minister for Law, Justice, and Parliamentary Affairs Shiva Maya Tumbahangphe tabled the amendment bill on May 31 and the necessary month-long discussion was fast-tracked.
Not tenable: India
Responding to the development, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said it had “noted” the legislative process. “The artificial enlargement of claims is not based on historical facts or evidence and is not tenable. It is also violative of our current understanding to hold talks on outstanding boundary issues,” said MEA spokesperson Anurag Srivastava.
The diplomatic fallout of the territorial dispute is likely to be serious, said the former foreign minister and Nepalese commentator Ramesh Nath Pandey, who warned of difficult days ahead for Nepal-India relations as well as for South Asian region.
“Now, Indo-Nepal border negotiations will be all the more complicated as secretaries have no right to negotiate on the provisions of our Constitution,” said Mr. Pandey. He argued that the territorial dispute of Kalapani, Limpiyadhura, and Lipulekh cannot be resolved at talks led by Foreign Secretaries or senior envoys as the disputed territories are now part of Nepal’s constitution and public imagination.
