Ram is Nepali and Ayodhya is in Nepal, claims K P Sarmah Oli

Guwahati: K P Sarmah Oli, the Nepalese Prime Minister, has once again stirred up a storm by claiming that Lord Ram, the protagonist of the Indian biopic 'Ramayana' was from Nepal and that Ayodhya (the birthplace of the mythological hero) is a village located not too far from Kathmandu.

Khabarhub, a media house from Nepal has reported that Oli, speaking on the occasion of Bhanu Jayanti at his residence, claimed "distortion of facts" with "India's Ayodhya" as the birthplace of Lord Ram and not the place claimed by India (in the state of Uttar Pradesh).

He said that although the real Ayodhya lies at Thori in the west of Birgunj, India has claimed the Indian site as the birthplace of Lord Ram, PM Oli said, reports Khabarhub. Oli claimed that there is a "dispute" over the actual location of Ayodhya and it is not where India claims it is. The Nepal PM went on to added that Ayodhya is at Thori, west of Birgunj, while Balmiki Ashram is in Nepal and the holy place where King Dasharath had executed the rites to get the son is in Ridi.

Oli's comments have been met with shock and resentment from Indians, who have long worshipped Ram as one of the primary deities in the Hindu pantheon. Indians also believe that the mythological hero was born in the Uttar Pradesh town called 'Ayodhya', which is the administrative headquarters of Faizabad district.

The Nepal PM's claims come just weeks after his government amended its constitution, paving the way for the inclusion of the 3 disputed areas of Kalapani, Lipulekh, and Limpiyadhura Nepal's maps – areas that have been a cause of dispute between India and Nepal.

He has also claimed that his party rivals are colluding with the Indian Government to remove him from power. He has also claimed that a plot to overthrow him has been shaped by his political rivals who are being aided by their Indian allies.

Meanwhile, Indian has claimed Nepal's territorial claims an "artificial enlargement not based on historical facts", and Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh has said that the dispute between the two neighbours will be resolved via dialogue.

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