Nepal PM’s remark on Lord Ram triggers outrage in Ayodhya

Ayodhya: Nepal Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli’s claim that the birthplace of Ram was Nepal and the Lord was a Nepali has triggered outrage in Ayodhya with seers, citizens and Hindu outfits demanding India snap diplomatic ties with the Himalayan nation and cut financial aid.
Chief priest of Ram Janamabhoomi temple Acharya Satyendra Das appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to end ties with Nepal and deport Nepalese workers. “Indians should also stop visiting religious sites in Nepal,” he said. The chief priest of Tapaswi Chhawni temple and a firebrand leader of the temple movement, Mahant Paramhans Das, said: “Nepal is hand in glove with China and India should give a befitting reply for the insult of Lord Ram.”
Taking a belligerent stand, Acharya Jugal Kishore Sharan Shastri, chief priest of Saryu Kunj Temple adjacent to Ram Janambhoomi premises, said: “I appeal to ‘Ram bhakts’ (devotees of Lord Rama) to move towards the Nepal border and launch protests.” President of Ram Dal Trust, Pandit Kalkiram, said Nepal would be left begging, if India took strong action. Taking a belligerent stand, Acharya Jugal Kishore Sharan Shastri, chief priest of Saryu Kunj Temple adjacent to Ram Janambhoomi premises, said: “I appeal to ‘Ram bhakts’ (devotees of Lord Rama) to move towards the Nepal border and launch protests.” President of Ram Dal Trust, Pandit Kalkiram, said Nepal would be left begging, if India took strong action.
Even Muslims of the temple town are outraged. Iqbal Ansari, a key litigant in the Babri Masjid-Ram Janmabhoomi title suit, said if Lord Hanuman gets angry, he would destroy Nepal. “Nepal’s statement has also hurt sentiments of Muslims,” he said.
Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) accused the Nepal prime minister of giving a statement under pressure of a foreign power. The outfit’s working president, Alok Kumar, said Oli’s statement was an unsuccessful attempt to break the unbreakable ties between Hindus of both countries. “His statement can’t be relied upon by anyone, except himself,” Kumar said. Lord Rama and Lord Pashupati Nath are an inseparable bond in Indo-Nepal religious and cultural relations, he said. “Hindu scriptures, customs, traditions and history have no different view on the birth place, which is Ayodhya. “Sri Ram baarat proceeds to Janakpuri from Ayodhya every year and it’s impossible to misguide people on the issue,” Kumar said.
On Monday, while addressing an event on the birth anniversary of Nepalese poet Bhanubhakta in Kathmandu, Oli said: “Although the real Ayodhya lies at Thori in the west of Birgunj, India has claimed the Indian site as the birthplace of Lord Rama.”