'Let's listen to new Ramayana of half-poet Olikrit Kali Yugin,' Nepal former PM on Oli's Lord Rama remarks

Nepal former Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai on Monday took a jibe at Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli who claimed that Ayodhya, the birthplace of Lord Rama, is in Nepal and Lord Rama was Nepali. Bhattarai said, "Let's listen to the new Ramayana of the half-poet Olikrit Kali Yugin".

Taking to Twitter after Oli made the controversial statement, Bhattrai wrote: "Let's listen to the new Ramayana of the half-poet Olikrit Kali Yugin! Let's travel directly to Baikunthadham!"PM Oli, at an event orgsed at Prime Minister's residence in Kathmandu, said that Lord Rama was not an Indian and blamed India of cultural encroachment by "creating a fake Ayodhya."

"Although real Ayodhya lies at Thori, city in the west of Birgunj, India has claimed that Lord Rama was born there. Due to these continuous claims even we have believed that deity Sita got married to Prince Rama of India. However, in reality, Ayodhya is a village lying west of Birgunj," Oli claimed.

"Balmiki Ashram is in Nepal and the holy place where King Dashrath had executed the rites to get the son is in Ridi. Dashrath's son Ram was not an Indian and Ayodhya is also in Nepal," he claimed.

Oli's contentious claims come as the relations between the New Delhi and Kathmandu has worsened lately.

Tensions between the two-nation rose after Kathmandu issued a new map incorporating some portions of Indian territories in May.

New Delhi has said that the updated map is "not based on historical facts and evidence" and termed the claims by Nepal as artificial enlargement.

( With inputs from ANI )