“They Took Some Unilateral Measures…”: S Jaishankar On New Nepal 100 Rupee Note

Contesting Nepal’s decision to introduce a new Rs 100 currency note featuring disputed Indian territories, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said that New Delhi’s position is very clear adding that Kathmandu unilaterally took some measures on their side.

He also said that while both countries were having talks on boundary matters, by doing something unilaterally, Nepal is not going to change the on-ground reality.

“I saw that report. I have not looked at it in detail, but I think our position is very clear. With Nepal, we were having discussions about our boundary matters through an established platform. And then in the middle of that, they unilaterally took some measures on their side. But by doing something on their side, they are not going to change the situation between us or the reality on the ground,” said S Jaishankar while interacting with professionals in Bhubaneswar on “Why Bharat Matters.”

A cabinet meeting on Friday decided to incorporate a new political map of Nepal on 100 rupee banknotes, covering the controversial territories of Lipulekh, Limpiyadhura and Kalapani as part of its territory.

Earlier in May 2020, Nepal’s updated map prepared incorporating the missing territories was submitted to the Ministry of Land Management by the Department of Survey which claims to have taken accurate scale, projection and coordinate system.

Tension had mounted between New Delhi and Kathmandu after the issuance of a political map by Nepal in mid-May 2020, including the Lipulekh, Kalapani and Limpiyadhura, which India earlier had included in its November 2019 map.

The earlier map issued in 2032 BS left Gunji, Nabhi and Kuri villages, which have now been included in the recently revised map, adding 335 square kilometres of land.

Diplomatic ties between the nations worsened after the inauguration of a road linking Kailash Mansarovar via Lipulekh on May 8, 2020, after which Nepal handed over a diplomatic note to India objecting to the move.

Prior to the handover of the diplomatic note, Nepal also had strongly objected to India’s unilateral move to construct the road. Following a strong objection from Nepal, India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had said the road going through Uttarakhand’s Pithoragarh district “lies completely within the territory of India.”