Nepal Prime Minister Balendra Shah sparked controversy by asserting during a parliamentary session that his country has encroached upon Indian territory, marking the first public statement by a Nepali head of government on the issue. The remarks, made on May 31, 2026, drew immediate backlash from lawmakers, who demanded clarification and the removal of the statement from official records. Shah’s comments came in response to a parliamentary question about the Kalapani region, a long-standing border dispute between Nepal and India. He stated, “I learned only recently—after becoming Prime Minister—that it’s not just India but Nepal too has encroached upon Indian territories in many places,” a claim that ignited outrage. Lawmakers from the Nepali Congress and Nepal Communist Party accused him of making an unsubstantiated and damaging statement. Basana Thapa, Nepali Congress Chief Whip, demanded that Shah specify the exact locations of the alleged encroachment, calling the remark “serious and objectionable.” Ramesh Malla of the Nepal Communist Party warned that the remarks could harm national integrity, questioning how a head of government could publicly assert territorial encroachment. The controversy unfolded against a backdrop of unresolved border disputes. The Kalapani, Lipulekh, and Limpiyadhura regions have been points of contention for decades, with India asserting sovereignty over them. Nepal’s claim to these areas gained prominence in 2020 when Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli’s government amended the constitution to include them in Nepal’s official map, a move that followed India’s 2019 publication of a political map designating the regions as Indian territory.#lipulekh_pass #nepal_prime_minister_balendra_shah #nepali_congress #nepal_communist_party #kalapani_region
