Kathmandu: Prime Minister of Nepal KP Sharma Oli courted controversy on Saturday as he online extended greetings for Vijay Dashami greetings to the nation with the old map of the country. The card that had the national emblem and the figure of Oli, did not include the strategically located Kalapani-Lipulekh-Limpiyadhura region of the Pithoragardh district that Nepal has been claiming.

Nepal had published a new map following the escalation of the border dispute with India in the summer and including parts of Uttarakhand in it. Ties between India and Nepal have been severely strained after Nepal published its new map.

Oli received flak from his Opposition parties for using a dated map in the greeting card. He was accused of trying to “backtrack on the issue, undermining the spirit behind the national consensus on the territorial issue”.

Oli received flak from his Opposition parties for using a dated map in the greeting card. He was accused of trying to “backtrack on the issue, undermining the spirit behind the national consensus on the territorial issue”.

The government of Nepal clarified that the map used to convey Oli’s Vijaya Dasami greetings was distorted because of technical reasons. The greeting card was the new one, but because of its small size, the new areas were not visible, Oli’s adviser Surya Thapa said.

Oli's Foreign Affairs Advisor Rajan Bhattarai said Nepal has not diluted its claim to the Kalapani region.

Much to anyone's amusement, it was Oli himself who six weeks ago had ordered the withdrawal of school textbooks that had included the new map.

Earlier this week, Oli held a long meeting with Indian R&AW chief Samant Kumar Goel. Indian Army chief General MM Naravane is scheduled to visit Nepal next month.

Last month, after endorsing the Constitution Amendment Bill to adopt a new map, Nepal said it is planning to conduct a census in these areas. However, India made it clear that Nepal will not be allowed to carry out the exercise. According to a report by TOI, Nepal conducts a census every 10 years and the next census is due in May 2020.