K.V. Rajan and Atul K. Thakur

On 8 May 2020, the defence minister of India tweeted: ‘Delighted to inaugurate the Link Road to Mansarovar Yatra today. The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) achieved road connectivity from Dharchula to Lipulekh (China Border) known as Kailash-Mansarovar Yatra Route. Also flagged off a convoy of vehicles from Pithoragarh to Guni through video conferencing.’ The announcement and its timing surprised even keen observers of India-Nepal relations. No one thought that a road project in this territory would get inaugurated so urgently and through video conferencing. The announcement immediately put the Nepal government, the people and political prayers there on high alert. The Oli government’s sharp reaction was unexpected—the road was being built for years, so for it to pretend that it was unaware of this development and therefore surprised at its inauguration defied logic.

In a statement, the Nepalese Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed regret at India’s move. It said, ‘As per the Sugauli Treaty (1816), all the territories east of Kali (Mahakali) River, including Limpiyadhura, Kalapani and Lipulekh, belong to Nepal. This was reiterated by the Government of Nepal several times in the past and most recently through a diplomatic note addressed to the Government of India dated 20 November 2019 in response to the new political map issued by the latter.’ It cautioned the Indian government against carrying out any activity ‘inside the territory of Nepal’. It stated that: ‘Nepal had expressed its disagreement in 2015 through separate diplomatic notes addressed to the governments of both India and China when the two sides agreed to include Lipulekh Pass as a bilateral trade route without Nepal’s consent in the Joint Statement issued on 15 May 2015 during the official visit of the Prime Minister of India to China.’ Nepal said it believed in resolving the pending boundary issues through diplomatic means. It said that Kathmandu had proposed twice the dates for holding the foreign secretary-level meeting between the two countries.