Nepal PM Oli blames India whenever he finds himself in a sticky situation

Lord Ram is trending in India, all credit to the prime minister of Nepal. In his quest to prove his nationalistic credentials and to woo China,Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli played the oldest card in the subcontinent's politics.

PM Oli is relying on religion to push his casein the bid to distract the people of Nepal from his failings. On Monday, Prime Minister Oli said that the real Ayodhya is in Nepal and Lord Ram is Nepali, not Indian.

According to facts, the Hindu mythology says that Lord Ram was Indian and Ayodhyaas known to allis in India. However, there's an Ayodhya in Thailand too. The Ramayan has many versions of Hindu, Buddhist, Jain andIndonesian.

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Nepal has a Maithili speaking population. There was a time when Nepal was aSakya kingdom with amuch larger territory with parts of eastern India including Bihar extending up to the Bay of Bengal.

Lord Ram is an issueboth emotional and politically potent in India. PM Oli's tactichad the desired effect. There was a controversy and after letting it brew for almost 24 hours, the government of Nepal issued a clarification.It was apoor attempt at damage control.

A foreign ministry statement saidthe prime minister's remarks "are not meant to debase the significance of Ayodhya and the cultural value it bears".

But his remarks do debase the sanctity of the office he holds. Nepal's Prime Minister has turned to national pride and religion to save his job and he can think of only one way to survive - blame India for everything. When he felt besieged, Oli blamed India for his mounting troubles. First, he blamed Indians for the growing COVID-19 cases in Nepal. Then, he claimed India was trying to dethrone him.

These attacks backfired as the chorus for his exit grew louder. Now, Oli has come up with a new assertion about Lord Ram and Ayodhya's origins.

Needless to say, India finds these claims laughable. A paranoia is driving the actions of the Nepal prime minister in a bid to prove that he is a bigger nationalist than his rival.

Pushpa Kamal Dahal, the former prime minister of Nepal famously known as Prachanda has been theleading the rival faction within Nepal's ruling party. He has publicly demanded Oli's resignation. They want Oli to step down. Two leaders are fighting for power in Nepal andOli is in the minority within his party.

So, he is trying to win thebattle to garner public courtby blaming Indiaand playing the nationalism card. Oli wants to show that he is more popular than Dahal.

Both leaders are trying to dethrone the other. Oli and Prachanda are now trying to save the government through talks. In recent days, both leaders have held more than six one-on-one meetings.

Another meeting happened today but, they are nowhere close to a power-sharing deal.There could be a showdown on Friday. In four days, the standing committee of Nepal's ruling party is supposed to meet. Themeeting has been delayed several times.

It was supposed to decide the fate of KP Sharma Oli. Oli has skipped this meeting several timesbecausewhenever he has attended it, he has had to face demands for resignation.

Earlier this month,Oli escaped a potential showdown with his party. Just before he came face-to-face with the rival faction, Oli complained of chest pain.He was admitted to a hospital. A day later, he proroguedthe budget session of Nepal's parliament potentially avoiding a no-confidence motion from his party members andescaped a floor test.