Rajesh Hamal criticizes PM Balendra Shah’s statement on Nepal-India territory issue

Actor Rajesh Hamal has criticized Prime Minister Balendra Shah’s recent statement in the House of Representatives, where Shah claimed that Nepal has encroached upon Indian territory. Hamal described Shah’s remarks as a sign of immaturity.

Targeting Prime Minister Shah, Hamal warned that a lack of maturity, experience, decision-making ability, and foresight in a nation’s leader could lead to serious challenges for the country.

Hamal, the son of former diplomat Chudabahadur Hamal and known for his intellectual persona, wrote, “In today’s tumultuous and uncertain global political environment, the absence of sufficient maturity, experience, decision-making ability, and foresight in a nation’s leader can bring about serious challenges for the country.”

Hamal’s comments come amid criticism of Prime Minister Shah’s first public statement in Parliament, where he claimed that “Nepal has also encroached on Indian territory.”

The actor highlighted that border disputes involving Nepal are distinct from “cross-border encroachment” and “state-sponsored land encroachment.” He expressed that cross-border encroachment is often related to local citizens, open borders, changes in river courses, missing border pillars, or settlement expansions.

Hamal suggested that such issues, being administrative and local in nature, can be resolved through dialogue, joint surveys, and mutual cooperation.

However, Hamal stated that state-sponsored land encroachment is an entirely different matter. According to him, in such cases, a nation actively seeks to expand its control over disputed territories. This involves activities like road construction, establishment of administrative structures, deployment of security forces, amendment of official maps, and formal enforcement of state authority.

Hamal cited the Kalapani, Lipulekh, and Limpiyadhura areas as prime examples of state-sponsored land encroachment.