Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has said that the government would not step back from its campaign to reclaim the Nepali territories of Limpiyadhura, Lipulek and Kalapani. Responding to the queries of the lawmakers on the policy document of next fiscal year in the House of Representatives and National Assembly separately, Prime Minister Oli said that returning Nepali land and protecting human lives from COVID-19 pandemic were the top first responsibilities of the government.
In his lengthy address, the Prime Minister urged India to act for peace by returning the Nepali land occupied by India. He also expressed his dissatisfaction towards the comments made by Indian Army Chief Manoj Mukund Narvane on the protest of Nepali against India for construction a road in Nepali territory, which he had said was done at the aegis of others. PM Oli said he (Naravane) had no right to undermine Nepal which was among the few countries which was never colonised.
He said no country should make any comment about another country through the army.
Referring to the Indian emblem with lions looking at all four directions with an inscription in Sanskrit reading ‘truth always triumphs’, PM Oli said he wanted to ask whether it was ‘truth triumphs’ or ‘lion wins’.
“We hope it must be ‘truth triumphs’,” he said.
He also said that the constitution would be amended to incorporate the updated version of the map. “The constitution has to identify its real map and we will make sure through its amendment,” he said.
The Council of Ministers has endorsed the new political map of the country including Limpiyadhura, Kalapani and Lipulek in it on Monday.
Focusing on the ongoing fight against COVID-19, PM Oli said, “If we save lives from crisis, activities can be revived.”
He further said that the virus was challenging the existence of human race itself.
He defended the policy document as relevant and urged the lawmakers to endorse it unanimously. However, the House endorsed it on majority later.
However, PM Oli was accused of not addressing the genuine queries of lawmakers during his speech.
He bluntly said that rescuing stranded Nepalis from abroad was impossible and gave example of other countries who rescued their nationals from Nepal. Rescuing thousands of Nepalis from the Middle East was not like rescuing 100-200 Australians from Nepal, he said.
Instead, the PM said that the government had made continuous diplomatic efforts on facilitating migrant workers working in international market at places they were in.
The PM also spent his time on the need to accept American grant of Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) in the House today. “Parties may have their part to discuss the MCC compact but the document is at Speaker’s table and the House will make final decision on that,” he said.
Stating that the policy document of the government remained silent about MCC, the PM argued in its favour and said the government owned up the MCC pushed by the previous government.
Reproduced from People’s Review
