The Aryavarth Express
Agency (New Delhi): Chiranjivi Nepal, the economic advisor to Nepal’s President Ram Chandra Paudel, resigned after making controversial remarks about the government’s decision to issue new Rs 100 notes featuring a map that includes three disputed Indian territories. The territories in question are Kalapani, Lipulekh, and Limpiyadhura, which India asserts are part of its territory.
President Paudel accepted Chiranjivi Nepal’s resignation on Sunday, according to a press release from the Office of the President. Chiranjivi Nepal stated, “I made the remarks as an economist and a former governor of the central bank, but some news media have twisted it to unnecessarily drag the respectable institution of the president into controversy, which saddened me.”
The decision to include these territories in the new map on the currency notes was made during a Cabinet meeting last week. This move, first initiated in May 2020 under former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, led to the government replacing the old map in all official documents despite India’s objections.
Chiranjivi Nepal clarified his intentions, saying his remarks aimed to highlight potential practical problems arising from this decision at a time when diplomatic discussions were ongoing. “I, therefore, tendered my resignation taking the moral obligation of the attempt made by some online news portals which have tried to drag the president into controversy based on my statement,” he added.
The inclusion of the disputed territories in the new map has been a contentious issue, with CPN-UML chairman and former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli publicly criticizing Chiranjivi Nepal for his comments. Civil society leaders also demanded his removal, arguing that he acted against national interest and breached decorum.
India has consistently opposed this move, with its External Affairs Ministry stating, “This artificial enlargement of claims is not based on historical fact or evidence and is not tenable. It is also violative of our current understanding to hold talks on outstanding boundary issues.” External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar recently expressed discontent over Nepal’s decision to issue the new notes, emphasizing that it would not change the situation on the ground.
Nepal shares an extensive border of over 1,850 km with five Indian states: Sikkim, West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand. The ongoing boundary dispute continues to be a sensitive issue in bilateral relations between the two countries.
