Kathmandu, July 8 -- Nepal Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has once again reiterated his claim that Lord Ram was born in Nepal. Addressing a party event in Kathmandu on Monday, the Nepal PM claimed Lord Ram's birthplace lies within Nepal's territory and encouraged people not to shy away from spreading the message.

Speaking at a programme organised by his party, CPN-UML's Tourism and Civil Aviation Department, Oli said his claims are based on the original "Ramayana" written by sage Balmiki (Valmiki).

"We talk about tourism. But how can someone just make a story about Ram being born somewhere else, specifying the place? Ram was born in Nepal. It is in Nepalese territory; that place now lies in Nepal. I won't say it was Nepal even then. Where...