China instigating Nepal to oppose India: Indian Military Chief -

New Delhi: Indian Chief of Army Staff, General Manoj Mukund Naravane, made a statement suggesting that China is instigating Nepal to oppose India- There is no way to know why Nepal is opposing. Maybe, they are doing so on being prompted by someone. Last week, India inaugurated a new road leading to the Chinese border. Nepal expressed displeasure over the development and summoned the Indian Ambassador.

Army Chief, General Naravane clarified his views on the subject while speaking at a function organised by a study group in New Delhi. He said that the region in the west of the Kali river in Nepal is with India and the area to the east is with Nepal. There is no dispute with Nepal in this matter, and the road built by India is on the west side. He clarified that there is no dispute with Nepal in the first place.

On the 8th on May, Indian Minister for Defence, Rajnath Singh, inaugurated an eighty kilometres long road leading to the Lipulekh Pass in the Himalayas. While reacting to this development, Nepal said that India had taken unilateral action, and this is in violation of the understanding between the two countries. Thereafter, Nepal registered its protest, summoning the Indian Ambassador. The Nepalese President warned that Nepal is in the process of redrawing the map of Nepal, showing Kalapani and Limpiyadhura, along with Lipulekh pass as parts of Nepal.

The statement of General Manoj Mukund Naravane suggests that the unnecessary aggression demonstrated by Nepal could be a Chinese ploy. Although General Naravane did not name China, it can be very easily inferred that he is pointing to China, given the increased Chinese influence in Nepal over the last few years.

The statements of the Indian Army Chief also have a link with the Chinese intrusion attempts in Sikkim and Ladakh, and the fights that ensued in the last few weeks. China made these intrusion attempts to provoke India. But the Indian military foiled the Chinese attempts with its aggression. Restless with these developments, China seems to be trying to pressurise India using Nepal and Pakistan.

Nepal, who expressed displeasure over the Indian road, had surprisingly not shown similar aggression when China laid a claim on Mount Everest. This underlines the Chinese influence on Nepal. India is fully aware of this, and the statements of the Indian Army Chief only show that.