On May 8th 2020, Indian Defence Minister, Rajnath Singh virtually inaugurated an 80km long load across the Indo-Nepali border connecting to the Chinese border at Lipulekh pass. The Nepali government protested immediately, claiming that the road crosses Indian territory and accused India of violating bilateral agreements.
With Nepal sending a police force to the region, things escalated quickly. The government then proceeded to summon the Indian ambassador in Kathmandu and extended its territorial claim over 400 sq km across the Indian soil. India on the other hand was open to peaceful discussion and negotiation but did not seem very urgent on the matter. Its initial statement agreed to dialogue only after the COVID-19 crisis.
Over a month later, the bilateral agreements between the nations started to sour. The disputed Kalpani region in western Uthrakhand was claimed by both countries.
India has been in effective control over this territory for the past 60 years. Although Nepal claims that a census was conducted there in the early 1950s, it refers to the 1815 Sugauli treaty to legitimise its claims. However, India’s road in Lipulekh pass is not unexpected and India has built several other infrastructures in the region. Furthermore, it has conducted administration and marched troops to China from here.
The Nepali government had been monitoring the situation and the road building. The issue had first come up in November 2019 when India announced its new political map at the revocation of article 370. India’s maps contained Nepali claimed areas for many years. Yet this time the Nepali government brought it up publicly. It became trending on social media with the #backoffIndia.
A theory suggests that the conflict was a help to the Nepali Prime Minister he was facing internal rebellions since his ascend in 2017. The PM was able to mobilise public opinion and rally the support of the opposition and divert attention from his failed ordinances and challenges he failed in the pandemic.
Some theories suggest that China was involved in the dispute and even help cause it. However, this does not seem very plausible for the simple fact that the conflict was brewing for months on end. Although, the Indian chief of Army staff suggests that Nepal was bringing the issue up at the advice of a third party, hinting at China. His words hurt Kathmandu, suggesting that there was no point in any negotiation. On the contrary, the Indian Ministry of Foreign Affairs was clear on the fact that the issue was to be dealt with diplomacy and discussion.
To conclude, the issue was solely about an unclear border between the two countries. This issue had many faces to it from the involvement of a third party to conspiracy theories about the Nepali Prime Minister. This issue goes to show that how quickly things can escalate. The usually friendly countries stood to a point of full-blown offensive. Furthermore, it proves that diplomacy and negotiation is the only solution to such problems.
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