By Muslim Mirror Staff

Kathmandu/New Delhi: Nepal prime minister KP Sharma Oli has come out with a theory which contradicts the claim made by millions of Hindu living in India.

According to Nepali PM  Ayodhya, the ancient city believed by millions of Hindus to be the birthplace of Lord Ram, is actually a small village near Kathmandu, Nepal Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli said Monday, in a statement certain to provoke a reaction from followers of Ram.

The Prime Minister also claimed Lord Ram was actually Nepali not Indian.

Speaking at a cultural programme at his residence, Mr Oli then accused India of cultural oppression and encroachment, and said Nepal’s contribution to science had been undervalued.

“We still believe we gave Sita to Prince Ram but we gave the prince too, from Ayodhya, not India. Ayodhya is a village a little west (of) Birgunj (a district in Nepal that is around 135 km from capital Kathmandu),” Prime Minister Oli said.

“We have been oppressed a bit, culturally. Facts have been encroached,” he was quoted by Nepali news website Setopati.com, which describes itself as “Nepal’s digital newspaper”.

According to news agency ANI, which quoted Nepalese media sources, Mr Oli also said: “Real Ayodhya lies in Nepal, not in India. Lord Ram is Nepali not Indian”.

While Indian Hindus believe Ayodhya is a town in Uttar Pradesh, around 135 km from state capital Lucknow.

Prime Minister Oli’s contentious remarks come amid a row between the two countries over a revised political map that sees Nepal claim Indian territory – the Lipulekh Pass in Uttarakhand and the Limpiyadhura and Kalapani areas. With ANI inputs