Uttarakhand government may set up FM channels near Nepal border to counter 'anti-India' propaganda

DEHRADUN: Uttarakhand government may soon set up local FM channels to counter alleged 'anti-India' propaganda alongside villages bordering Nepal.

"We are looking into the matter and views are to set up community radios," state government spokesperson, Madan Kaushik, said.

N S Napalchyal, former chief secretary of Uttarakhand who hails from Dharchula area of Pithoragarh commenting on the issue said, "This is China style propaganda by Nepal and we need to counter it. Our governments should start l community radios in the area to counter these FM channels."

Meanwhile, local residents have started drive to boycott Nepalese radio channels. 

"We have decided to boycott these FM radio channels due to anti-India songs. They are spitting this venom against India due to Chinese influence. We have been like good neighbours for centuries and now this. This kind of behaviour is unacceptable," Shalu Datal, a resident of Dharchula, border town on the banks of Kali river said.

The sudden rise in these songs is said to be after Nepal adopted a new map showing parts of Indian territory as its own since last week. 

Most of the songs being run on Nepalese FM radio channels like 'Naya Nepal', 'Kalapani Radio', 'Darchula Radio', 'Lok Darpan', 'Radio Sarthi' and 'Mallikarjun Radio' whose broadcasts are accessible across the border villages and towns like Dharchula and Jhoolaghat in Pithoragarh district of Uttarakhand. 

Calling the lyrics "offensive", Kunti Punetha, a resident said, "The lyrics seemed like issuing a threat to us and our country. This kind of aggression is unprecedented and unacceptable."

Lyrics of one of the songs go like this- "Hamrai ho tyo Kalapani, Lipulekha, Limpiyadhura... Utha, jaga, veer Nepali (Kalapani, Lipulekh and Limpiyadhura are ours… Wake up, brave people).”

Another song from on of the FM channels translates to this- “Lipulekh and Kalapani should be ours, it’s our land that has been stolen”. 

Residents of the area also said that some of these songs are 6-12 months old but are now being broadcasted in form of propaganda.

These songs were released on other platforms like YouTube between March and June this year.

Responding to queries on the sudden choice of music, Manju Tinkari, a radio jockey with a Nepalese radio station said, “We play what garners traffic which means according to people's demands."