NEW DELHI - India and Nepal are close South Asian neighbours but a border row has flared up, straining bilateral relations already weighed down by Kathmandu pursuing closer ties with Beijing.
On Monday (May 11), Nepal summoned Indian envoy Vinay Mohan Kwatra to lodge a diplomatic protest over the inauguration of an 80km road being built by India in an area that Kathmandu said cuts through its territory.
Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday inaugurated a road connecting Lipulekh pass, claimed by Nepal, with Dharchula, a major trading centre for the trans-Himalayan trade routes, in Uttarakhand state. The inauguration was done remotely.
The Lipulekh pass is a strip of land situated at the India, China and Nepal trijunction or where the borders of the three countries intersect. .
The road was built by India to cut travel time between the capital, New Delhi, and Mount Kailash, near Mansarovar Lake in the Tibet Autonomous Region, from two to three weeks to one week. Mount Kailash is sacred to Hindus and pilgrims often flock to the area.
Nepal has slammed the completion of the road, which stops 4km short of the Chinese border, as a "unilateral act" that "runs against the understanding reached between the two countries".
Nepal had also objected when Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2015 agreed to boost trade through Lipulekh.
The issue has triggered anti-India protests within Nepal, dominated newspaper coverage and criticised by all sides in the Himalayan nation, including by the Nepal Communist Party, which blasted India for undermining the country's sovereignty
India and Nepal have traditionally enjoyed close ties and both countries have an open border, allowing the free movement of people.
But the relationship has seen many ups and downs, particularly since 2016, when Nepal began looking into weaning off its dependence on India after a blockade of the main border crossings with the Asian giant led to a shortage of fuel, medicines and other essential items.
India continues to wield influence in Nepal, which stands as a land buffer with China, but this has been under threat as Kathmandu increasingly reaches out to Beijing.
Despite the criticism in Kathmandu, India maintains that the road is in Indian territory.
"The recently inaugurated road section in Pithoragarh district in the state of Uttarakhand lies completely within the territory of India. The road follows the pre-existing route used by the pilgrims of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra. Under the present project, the same road has been made pliable for the ease and convenience of pilgrims, locals and traders," said Ministry of External Affairs spokesman Anurag Srivastava.
Analysts said the episode would further deepen anti-India sentiment in Nepal.
"I think the border dispute will not have much impact on overall bilateral relations. As both countries cannot afford to further damage bilateral relations, they are expected to move ahead cautiously as they did in the past, But one thing is sure: anti-Indian sentiment in Nepal will further increase," said Kathmandu-based journalist and writer Kamal Dev Bhattarai.
"In recent years, there are growing voices inside Nepal that the open border with India should be regulated, such voices will be even stronger. The only way ahead is holding talks at the top political level to settle outstanding bilateral issues because talks at bureaucratic level cannot resolve such problems," he added.
