Nepal Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli in a stern statement has blamed India for the rise in the number of coronavirus cases in his country over the past few days. Nepal PM Oli has stated that the virus strain from India looked "more lethal" than was seen in China and Italy. He added saying, "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,". Prime Minister Oli also said, "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,". The Indian Foreign Ministry is yet to officially respond to the claims.

The comments made by Nepal PM KP Sharma Oli have caused an ongoing rift between the two nations to widen after the neighboring country had first objected to Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurating a road connecting Lipulekh pass in Uttarakhand with Kailash Mansarovar route in China. Kathmandu has stated the road was built inside its borders and is something India has disputed.

The Nepal cabinet earlier this week had validated a new political map, which includes Limpiyadhura, Lipulekh, and Kalapani as part of its territory. This is the first time that Kathmandu is claiming a stake in Limpiyadhura despite Lipulekh and Kalapani having been claimed by Nepal much before. It must be noted that both nations share a 1,800 km open border.