NEW DELHI: A day after External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar said that there were no disputes between India and Nepal over the ‘Akhand Bharat’ mural in India’s new Parliament (which depicts the extent of Ashoka’s empire), the mayor of Nepal’s capital Kathmandu on Friday put up in his chamber a ‘Greater Nepal’ map that includes parts of India.
“Mayor Balendra Shah called his office staff on Thursday and asked them to put up the map in his chamber. Shah said this was done to remember the history of Nepal and it gives a positive vibe of nationalism,” sources said.
Interestingly, Shah is currently in Bengaluru where his wife is undergoing treatment. Jaishankar had on Thursday said the map in India’s Parliament was a cultural map and not a political one and friendly countries like Nepal would have no problem.
Meanwhile, in Nepal, some are questioning the constitutional validity of the mayor’s decision to put up the ‘Greater Nepal’ map as elected leaders must only use maps that are approved. “Shah is an elected mayor. His position is equal to that of a state minister. He should be mindful of this as this could result in tensions between India and Nepal. He should follow the Constitution,” Buddhi Narayan Shrestha, a well-known cartographer in Nepal, said.
The mural in Parliament includes ancient sites Lumbini and Kapilavastu which are in Nepal. “We had raised the issue of the map in India’s Parliament but were told it’s a historical map and not a political one,” Nepal PM Pusha Kumar Prachanda said on Wednesday.