After being unseated by the massive Gen Z–led protests that claimed 72 lives, former Nepal Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli made a thinly veiled attack accusing India of the loss of his power.

Oli’s comments need to be seen in the context of his politics that has primarily been based on fuelling anti-India rhetoric since he came to power for the first time in 2015. He had started his stint by accusing India of a “blockade" though multiple Madhesi groups in Nepal had claimed that they had carried out this blockade because their constitutional demands could not be met in the 2015 constitution. Later, he talked to agitated Madhesi groups to build a consensus.

Oli again made a controversial statement saying: “Corona virus coming from India is more dangerous than Chinese or Italian virus" — making things difficult for both Indian and Nepali diplomats. He is also known to have politicised the Kalapani-Lipulekh issue, which otherwise could have been resolved through bilateral negotiations.

In July 2020, he said “real Ayodhya" is in Nepal, calling India’s Ayodhya “fake". In 2021, it was claimed that yoga “originated in Nepal and India was not even born" at that time. Such political rhetoric is detrimental to the India-Nepal relationship, which has been unique due to the common........

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