NEW DELHI: Making an overture to Nepal, which is angry with India for making a road to Lipulekh Pass, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday said if there is a misunderstanding among citizens of Nepal it would be resolved through talks.
“Relations between the two nations are not ordinary, it is ‘roti-beti ka rishta’, he said. “No power in the world can break it,” Singh said in an obvious reference to China’s growing proximity to Nepal.
Singh was speaking at the ‘Uttarakhand Jan Samwaad’ virtual rally organised by the BJP.
In the past two such rallies, one on June 8 and the other on June 14 for Maharashtra and J&K, respectively, he had spoken about the ongoing India-China dispute along the LAC in Ladakh. On Monday, he avoided China and addressed Nepal where Parliament has approved a new map showing Indian territory in Uttarakhand as Nepalese land.
On the Dharchula-Lipulekh road, he said, “The 80 km road is in Indian territory; however, in Nepal there is a misunderstanding over this,” Singh said. “India and Nepal not only have social, cultural, historical and geographical relations, we have spiritual relations. How can we forget Baba Pashupati Nath”, he said referring to the temple by the same name in Nepal. “Can anyone delink Pashupati Nath, Kashi Vishwanath and Somnath from Amarnath? The link between India and Nepal is of a ‘different world’, no one can change the link despite wanting to do it. Indians cannot have any ill-feeling about Nepali citizens,” Singh said.
The Dharchula-Lipulekh road leads to Mansarvaor (lake in Tibet), an important Hindu pilgrimage site and reduces travel time by six days.
Singh went on to highlight ties with Nepal and cited the Gorkha regiment of the Indian Army. The war cry of the regiment is “Jai Mahakali, ayo Gorkhali”, the Defence Minister said.
He said the Defence Ministry had set a target of having Rs 35,000 crore-worth export weapons by 2024. Singh reminded his audience that the Chief of Defence Staff, General Bipin Rawat, was from Uttarakhand.