Human chain protests at Nepalese PM's remarks

Jagrato Hindu Samaj activists formed a human chain in front of Jatiya Press Club on Friday to protest at the remarks of Nepalese Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli that Lord Ram belongs to Nepal and not India.

Protesters said invisible forces are instigating Nepal to issue misleading statements on Lord Ram, and they wanted religion be separate from politics. 

They also urged to strengthen the bond of India-Bangladesh friendship. 

KP Sharma Oli created a controversy on July 13 stating that real Ayodhya lies in Nepal, not in India and that Lord Ram was born in Thori in southern Nepal.

Subsequently, the Nepalese Foreign Office went into a damage control exercise. It stated, "As there have been several myths and references about Shri Ram and the places associated with him, the prime minister was simply highlighting the importance of further studies and research of the vast cultural geography the Ramayana represents to obtain facts about Shri Ram, Ramayana and the various places linked to this rich civilisation. The remarks were not meant to debase the significance of Ayodhya and the cultural value it bears."

Prime Minister Oli, under growing pressure to resign amidst a rift in the ruling Nepal Communist Party over his style of functioning, has alleged that some of the ruling party leaders are aligning with the southern neighbour to remove him from power after his government issued a new political map incorporating three Indian territories of Lipulekh, Kalapani and Limpiyadhura.

His allegations have been criticised by senior NCP leaders, including former Prime Minister ‘Prachanda’, who demanded Prime Minister Oli’s resignation, saying his recent anti-India remarks were “neither politically correct nor diplomatically appropriate.”

Recently, a story was run on a Hindi news channel in India about China’s Ambassador to Nepal Hou Yanqi and PM KP Sharma Oli.