Amid the escalating border dispute with India, Nepal Prime Minister KP Oli has fired a fresh salvo saying, “Indian virus looks more lethal than Chinese and Italian,” reported NDTV.

Oli has alleged that Indians carrying the virus are entering the Himalayan state through illegal channels and spreading the virus in the country.

"Those who are coming from India through illegal channels are spreading the virus in the country and some local representatives and party leaders are responsible for bringing in people from India without proper testing," NDTV quoted Oli as saying in a speech on Tuesday.

"It has become very difficult to contain COVID-19 due to the flow of people from outside. Indian virus looks more lethal than Chinese and Italian now. More are getting infected," added the Nepal PM.

His comments have baffled and outraged officials in India, said the NDTV report.

Oli’s charge comes hot on the heels of escalating border dispute between the two countries after India inaugurated a road in the Kalapani-Limpiyadhura-Lipulekh area, which is part of the Indian territory.

However, Nepal contends that Lipulekh belongs to it based on the 1816 Treaty of Sugauli it entered with the British colonial rulers. Further, Nepal also claims Kalapani and Limpiyadhura, where Indian soldiers are deployed since its 1962 war with China.

Recently, the Nepal cabinet endorsed a new map that incorporates Kalapani, Limpiyadhura and Lipulekh under its borders.

Defence minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated the road connecting Lipulekh pass in Uttarakhand with Kailash Mansarovar in China and India contends that the road "lies completely within the territory of India".

Army chief General MM Naravane last week raised the possibility of another country instigating Nepal on the road issue. “There is reason to believe that they (Nepal) might have raised this issue at the behest of someone else and that is very much a possibility,” he said.