Tag: Nilamabar Acharya

Kathmandu Lodges Formal Protest Against Tripura CM’s Remark on BJP Forming Govt in Nepal

Nepali ambassador Nilamabar Acharya sought clarifications in a phone call with MEA joint secretary (north) Arindam Bagchi on Biplab Deb’s remarks.

New Delhi: Nepal has formally lodged a protest with India against a public statement made by Tripura chief minister Biplab Deb, claiming that Union home minister Amit Shah had plans for “BJP governments” to be established in Nepal and Sri Lanka.

On Tuesday, Nepali Twitter users had tagged the official handles of Nepal’s prime minister and foreign minister to draw their notice to a news report on Deb’s remarks.

In response, Nepali foreign minister Pradeep Gyawali stated that a “formal objection” has been conveyed.


The Kathmandu Post reported that the Nepali ambassador Nilamabar Acharya had registered the oral protest in a phone call with MEA’s joint secretary (north), Arindam Bagchi, on Monday.

Deb had told state party officials on Saturday that BJP wanted to establish the party and form governments in neighbouring countries after winning all states in India.

“We were talking in the state guest house when Ajay Jamwal (northeast zonal secretary of BJP) said that BJP had formed its government in several states of India. In reply, Shah said that now Sri Lanka and Nepal are left. We have to expand the party in Sri Lanka, Nepal and win there to form a government,” he said.

The Post reported that the Nepal envoy expressed displeasure and sought a clarification from India. The MEA official assured him that these statements were baseless, and a clarification would be issued during the weekly briefing by the foreign ministry later this week, as per the Nepali paper.

Opposition parties in Tripura state, both from Left and Congress, castigated the chief minister and sought a response from the central leadership of BJP.

The Congress’ principal Twitter handle posted that India’s relations with neighbours had reached a low due to “foolish claims” made by leaders like Deb.

It is not yet known if Sri Lanka has also asked for any clarifications from India. However, Sri Lanka Co-cabinet spokesman Udaya Gammanpila has held off on commenting on the matter and said the government will need confirmation if the statement quoted by Deb was indeed made by Amit Shah, according to the Sunday Times in Sri Lanka.

Meanwhile, Sri Lankan Election Commission’s chairman Nimal Punchihewa has dampened any possibility of BJP opening a unit in the island nation. “Any Sri Lankan political party or group is permitted to have external links with any party or group overseas. But, our electoral laws do not permit overseas political parties to work here,” Punchihewa told reporters on Monday.

Nepal Envoy Speaks to UP CM Adityanath After Activists Tonsure Nepali Man, Circulate Video

Posters by the little known Vishwa Hindu Sena have also reportedly come up in Varanasi, threatening violence on Nepalis after PM Oli’s comments on Ayodhya.

New Delhi: Following reports of anti-Nepal posters and the forced tonsure of a Nepali national in Varanasi, Nepal’s ambassador Nilamabar Acharya spoke with the Uttar Pradesh Chief minister Yogi Adityanath to ask after the safety of Nepal nationals in the state.

This week, Nepal Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli had claimed at a function that it was highly likely that birthplace of Ram was not Ayodhya in India, but in Nepal.

A clarification was issued by Nepal foreign ministry a day later that his words were not meant to hurt sentiments and had only urged further research into Ramayana’s ‘cultural geography’.

Also read: Nepal PM Oli Says ‘Ayodhya’ Was in Nepal; Kathmandu Issues Clarification

The city of Varanasi has close connections with Nepal and is home to a large community of Nepalis, many of whom work in the temples.

Speaking to The Wire, Nepal’s envoy Acharya said that he was informed last evening that posters had been put up at the Pashupatinath temple in Varanasi’s Lalita Ghat condemning Oli’s remarks and also threatening Nepali nationals in India. The poster was signed by a little-known group, ‘Vishwa Hindu Sena’.

Later, the head of this group, Arun Pathak also uploaded a video on his Facebook account, in which an unidentified Nepali national was shown with a tonsured head, on which ‘Jai Shri Ram’ was written in black. The video shows the Nepali man being prodded by the group members to shout slogans of ‘Jai Shri Ram’ and ‘Bharat Mati ki jai’.

A screengrab from the video showing a Nepali man being tonsured in Varanasi.

Acharya said that the he spoke to Uttar Pradesh CM in the morning and asked him to ensure that Nepalese nationals did not feel unsafe.

Also read: Adityanath’s Comment Irks Nepal, PM Oli Question’s UP CM’s ‘Decision-Making Capacity’

He stated that he was satisfied with the action taken by the chief minister – an FIR has been filed in the case. According to The Hindu, Varanasi police stated that FIR was registered at Bhelupur police station.

Diplomatic sources said that while relations between the two governments could have its “ups and downs”, it should not be reflected in the ties between the population of the neighbours. “We have to ensure that there is no escalation in these kinds of incidents. It should not spread like a virus,” a source said.

Also read: The Kalapani Imbroglio: Has India Pushed Nepal Too Far?

Nepal and India have had strained relations since last year, when Kathmandu had objected to the release of a political map.

Nepal also protested when India opened a new link road connecting Lipulekh to the India-China border. Bilateral relations took a  further downturn after the Nepal parliament changed the constitution to update the political map in the national emblem to show territories also claimed by India.