Nepali politicians from different political parties have spoken out against the Akhand Bharat, or undivided India, mural in India’s newly inaugurated Parliament House.
The map on the mural shows the Lumbini, Gautam Buddha’s birthplace, as a part of India. It also shows other areas, including Kapilavastu and Biratnagar, as a part of India. However, Kathmandu has maintained that Lumbini is a major cultural centre in Nepal.
Overview
According to former Nepali PM Baburam Bhattarai, the controversy “has the potential of further aggravating the trust deficit already vitiating the bilateral relations between most of the immediate neighbours of India.” He said it may also cause an “unnecessary and harmful diplomatic row” between India and Nepal.
Similarly, another former Nepali PM, KP Sharma Oli, also said, “If a country like India that sees itself as an ancient and strong country and as a model of democracy puts Nepali territories in its map and hangs the map in Parliament, it cannot be called fair.”
The controversial mural of ‘Akhand Bharat’ in the recently inaugurated new Parliament building of India may stoke unnecessary and harmful diplomatic row in the neighborhood including Nepal. It has the potential of further aggravating the trust deficit already vitiating the… pic.twitter.com/dlorSZ05jn
— Baburam Bhattarai (@brb1954) May 30, 2023
To this end, he demanded that incumbent PM Pushpa Kamal Dahal “Prachanda” raise the issue with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi.
The mural first attracted controversy after the Parliament House was inaugurated on 28 May. Indian Parliamentary Affairs Minister Prahlad Joshi called the mural “Akhand Bharat.”
The “undivided India” or “Akhand Bharat” region refers to ancient India, which controlled several countries in the subcontinent, including Nepal, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka.
This controversy can potentially revive border tensions between the two neighbouring South Asian powers.
In November 2019, tensions between India and Nepal surged after India released a map showing the Kalapani region as a part of its territory. Nepal, too, released a map in retaliation, extending its claim over the region.
We will strive to take India-Nepal ties to Himalayan heights: PM Modi after talks with PM Prachandahttps://t.co/XgV65sP4IC
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) June 2, 2023
via NaMo App pic.twitter.com/Pf52cqBTOd
Modi, Prachanda Meet
While experts predict heightened tensions, Indian PM Modi met with his Nepali counterpart Prachanda on Thursday. The pair vowed to resolve boundary disputes amicably and expand relations to the “height of the Himalayas.”
They also facilitated the signing of several connectivity projects and energy infrastructure.
While they discussed border issues, Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra said the pair did not discuss the mural controversy.