Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday rejected Nepal’s claim over three areas falling in Uttarakhand state but offered an olive branch to Kathmandu by expressing the Modi government’s willingness to sort out the “misunderstanding” with India’s northern neighbour through dialogue.Addressing a meeting of BJP supporters via video link, Singh said that the ties between India and Nepal were multilayered — social, geographical, historical and cultural. India can never forget this reality and Indians can never have any bitterness towards the people of Nepal, Singh said.“These are no ordinary ties and we are bound by the ‘roti’ and ‘beti’ (livelihood and marriage) relationship. No power in the world can break it,” Singh said.
Bilateral ties became stressed after Singh inaugurated an 80-kilometre long road connecting Lipulekh pass with Dharchula in Uttarakhand last month. The new road is aimed at shortening the travel time for those undertaking the Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage to China by about a week. But Nepal objected to the road saying that it passed through its territory. The Kathmandu government also brought out a new map, including within Nepal’s borders three areas — Lipulekh, Kalapani and Limpiyadhura — that lie in Uttarakhand. On Saturday, the new map was cleared by the lower house of parliament unanimously and on Sunday, it received the go-ahead from the upper house.Read Equitypandit’s Nifty Outlook for the Week

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