KP Sharma Oli's claim on Lord Ram: A new weapon to target India and impress China

Nepal is desperate to rub India the wrong way. From map fixing to banning Indian channels, the government of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has tried it all.

Now, Oli claims that Hindu deity Lord Ram was a Nepali and not an Indian and that India has set up a fake Ayodhya.

Ayodhya is the birthplace of Lord Ram and the city of Ayodhya is located in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh but misleading the world with 'alternative history' is trick from the Chinese playbook and clearlyNepal is learning.

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Nepal is not shy to follow the same path. First, Nepal banned themedia, muzzledfree press and propaganda then it questionedan age-old status quo just to divert attention from the crisis at home.

There is a media war going on in the country. Nepal has accused the India media of unfair reportage and rumour-mongering. Private Indian channels were taken off air on July 9.

The government of KP Sharma Oli confirmed the ban over the weekend adding that the blackout will be in place till Indian channels change their approach.

It is Nepal's indiscriminate use of territorial nationalism villainising of India to score brownie points from China. It may work for a while or it may seem like it's working but the law of diminishing returns has setin and people have come out in protest demanding accountability, not rhetoric.

All of this is happening in Kathmandu plus the prime minister is struggling to keep his chair. There's no political resolution. Now Nepal's Supreme Court has entered the picture.

It has issued a show-cause notice to the government of Nepal. The notice asks a simple question, "Why are Nepalese working in India not included in the foreign employment category?"

Unlike the Nepalese working in other countries, those working in India do not need labour permits or insurance. Nepal's foreign employment act of 2007 rules out discrimination based on the country of employment.

India has never really treated Nepalese workers as foreigners. There are close to 8 million of them working in India. They have access to an open border. They do not need a visa or a work permit. So the current status is actually in favour of Nepal.

Not just its people, but also the government. The Nepali government did not have to provide financial support or other compensation to its citizens working in India.

But recently, a petition was filed by the forum for national building Nepal. The court's show-cause notice was in response to thepetition.

The government hasn't replied yet. It is busy saving itself. The rift in the ruling party the Nepal Communist Party remains as wide as ever. There are two sides. One led by prime minister-- KP Sharma Oli, the other by the party's co-chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal.

Now they're fighting over nationalism. A tug of war to prove who's a bigger nationalist. Dahal has hit out at Oli saying that no one has a monopoly that's because Oli took the entire credit for changing Nepal's map. Nepal depicted Indian territories, Limpiyadhura, Lipulekh and Kalapani as its own. The new map was signed into the constitution last month.

Oli claims credit for it and Dahal won't let him. So they continue to fight.This desperation to impress China by burning bridges with India is doing Nepal no good.