Coronavirus COVID-19 coming from India more lethal than Chinese, Italian, claims Nepal PM KP Sharma Oli

IANS photo

In a shocking statement, Nepal Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has said that people entering Nepal illegally through India were responsible for spreading coronavirus COVID-19 in the Himalayan nation and that “Indian virus looks more lethal than Chinese and Italian now”.

"Those who are coming from India through illegal channels are spreading the virus in the country and some local representatives and party leaders are responsible for bringing in people from India without proper testing. It has become very difficult to contain Covid-19 due to the flow of people from outside. Indian virus looks more lethal than Chinese and Italian now. More are getting infected,” Oli said in Nepal parliament.

Oli asserted that necessary measures were taken by Nepal government at the right time to stop the spread of the virus, adding that his government was committed to make Nepal coronavirus free. “It is the main priority of the government to make the country free from coronavirus,” he said.

Notably, Oli’s comments days after he praised India for assistance in fighting COVID-19 and India had also granted testing kits to Nepal few days ago.

Indo-Nepal relations are currently at the lowest ebb following the Himalayan nation's decision to release a controversial map showing several Indian territories as its own. India on Wednesday (May 20) rejected the new map and asked its neighbour to respect its sovereignty and territorial integrity. 

Reacting strongly to the map, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) official spokesperson Anurag Srivastava stated that Nepal's unilateral action is not based on historical facts and evidence. India, however, reiterated that these disputes should be resolved through dialogue.