Nepal Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli (PTI)
NEW DELHI: With Nepal’s chief opposition party Nepali Congress endorsing Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli’s constitutional amendment, the move to “update” Nepal’s map to include Limpiyadhura, Lipulekh and Kalapani in the national emblem is likely to go through with the required two-thirds majority, a development that will worsen the crisis in India-Nepal relations.
If the amendment goes through Parliament, it will serve to shore up Oli’s nationalist credentials, and the anti-India stance that goes with it, and help him ward off challenges from within his party which had eroded his authority. The date for passing the amendment has not yet been set, but its likely to be soon.
The Nepali Congress had sought time for a party discussion, but the result was a foregone conclusion according to Indian officials. Even if the party leaders had second thoughts, the issue has fired the cadres and public opinion. Going against popular sentiment would be a difficult task for political leaders of all hues and no party would like to be seen at odds with the proposed amendment.
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