[Ani News] Nepali Congress to hold discussions with other parties to declare Nepal ‘Hindu state’: Shankar Bhandari

Shankar Bhandari, a leader of the Nepali Congress and member of Parliament, has been leading a campaign within the party to declare Nepal a Vedic Sanatan Hindu state. He believes that reinstating the Hindu state would correct past errors in Nepali politics. Bhandari plans to hold discussions with all existing parties in the Federal Parliament, as he has been informed that the Nepal Communist Party is also concerned about increasing religious conversion.

Bhandari’s campaign gained traction during the Maha Samiti meeting held in Godawari, Lalitpur, on February 19, where he collected signatures from about 1100 participants out of the 1950 designated members. These signatures were submitted to party President Sher Bahadur Deuba, who promised to take the issue to the Central Committee meeting.

However, the agenda for a Hindu nation was not deliberated upon during the Maha Samiti meeting. After the 2006 People’s Movement-II, Nepal became a secular state, changing its status from a Hindu state where the monarch was worshipped and regarded as the reincarnation of Lord Narayan. Bhandari rejected claims that the Nepali Congress aims to reinstate the monarchy in the long term.

Notably, demands for a Hindu state have been rising in Nepal, with other parties staging protests and agitations demanding the reinstatement of the nation’s religious identity. The Rastriya Prajatantra Party, a pro-monarch faction, has also launched a campaign for a Hindu state, with the reinstatement of monarchy as their demand. Bhandari plans to start a national debate over the issue and hold discussions with political parties, as a two-third majority is needed to declare a Hindu state. He is determined to rectify the errors made at the time of the promulgation of the constitution.

Source: Conversation with Bing
https://www.aninews.in/news/world/asia/nepali-congress-to-hold-discussions-with-other-parties-to-declare-nepal-hindu-state-shankar-bhandari20240227023118/