New Delhi : India on Sunday firmly rejected Nepal’s objection to the upcoming Kailash Mansarovar Yatra via the long-established Lipulekh Pass in Uttarakhand, dismissing Kathmandu’s territorial claims over the region as an “unilateral artificial enlargement” that New Delhi finds “untenable”. New Delhi’s sharp reaction came hours after the Nepal foreign ministry issued a statement taking strong objection to India and China making preparations for the annual pilgrimage via Lipulekh Pass without consulting Kathmandu claiming the region belongs to it.Last week, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced the annual Kailash Mansarovar Yatra will take place from June to August via two routes — Lipulekh Pass and Nathu La in Sikkim. Subsequently, China said it is also making preparations for the pilgrimage. The pilgrimage to Mount Kailash and Mansarovar Lake in China’s Tibet Autonomous Region holds religious significance to Hindus as well as Jains and Buddhists. The Yatra was resumed last year after a gap of nearly five years as part of efforts to normalise the relations between India and China. “India’s position in this regard had been consistent and clear. Lipulekh Pass has been a long standing route for the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra since 1954 and the Yatra through this route has been going on for decades,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said. “This is not a new development. As regards territorial claims, India has consistently maintained that such claims are neither justified nor based on historical facts and evidence,” he said. Jaiswal further added: “Such unilateral artificial enlargement of territorial claims is untenable.” The MEA spokesperson said India remains open to a “constructive interaction” with Nepal on all issues in the bilateral relationship, including on resolving agreed outstanding boundary issues through “dialogue and diplomacy”. In 2020, the then Nepalese Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli attempted to use the boundary issue with India to fend off increasing domestic pressure and challenge to his leadership. The ties between the two countries came under severe strain after Kathmandu published a new political map in 2020 that showed the three Indian territories – Limpiyadhura, Kalapani and Lipulekh – as part of Nepal. India had rejected the claims. Kathmandu’s statement weeks after rapper-turned-politician Balendra Shah became prime minister has surprised New Delhi as it was felt that the bilateral relations between the two sides will witness a significant upswing under his leadership. The Nepalese foreign ministry’s objection to the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra via Lipulekh came days before a planned trip by Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri to Kathmandu. It is not immediately known whether there will be a review of the planned trip. “The Nepal government is clear and fully committed to its stand that Lipulekh, Limpiyadhura and Kalapani, lying in the East of the Mahakali river are its inseparable territories based on the Sugauli Treaty of 1816,” the Nepalese foreign ministry said in the statement. “The Nepalese government has reiterated its clear stand to both India and China regarding the Kailash-Mansarovar tour to be organised via Nepalese territory, Lipulekh,” it said. Earlier, the Nepalese government had also requested the government of India not to conduct activities such as road construction, expansion, border trade and pilgrimage in the area, it said. The ministry said the Nepalese government has also informed China about it. “The Nepal government is always committed to resolving the border issue through diplomatic channels based on historical agreement, understanding, facts, maps and proofs in view of close and friendly relations existing between Nepal and India,” it said.
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