KATHMANDU, OCT 10 – Several Nepali Congress leaders on Thursday launched a campaign to revive Nepal as a Hindu state through a nationwide training programme of its cadres.
The campaign, with the slogan “Nation, Nationality and Sanatan Hindu State”, led by former minister and party leader Khum Bahadur Khadka , was launched amidst a programme in the Capital where several former ministers, lawmakers and party leaders expressed solidarity in reviving the country’s Hindu status. The programme was organised by the Civil Struggle Committee for Sanatahan Hindu State Nepal with BP Chintan Pratisthan as the coordinator.
This is the first time that the pro-Hindu leaders in the party have publicly urged for the revival of a Hindu state. The party, which agreed on making Nepal a secular state in 2007, however, did not make any official comment over the campaign.
Addressing the function, Khadka pledged a nationwide stir to declare Nepal a Hindu state. “Our force shall compel the prime minister to address our concerns,” said the former minister, claiming that Nepal was forcefully declared a secular state by the international community. “If our campaign is disrupted by forceful means, we will retaliate,” he said. “We will be visiting all the districts to finalise the dates for the protests.”
Former Speaker Taranath Ranabhat said that the demand was logical since Hindus and Buddhists that fall under the Omkar clan combine for 90 percent of the nation’s population.
NC leader Chirinjivi Wagle affirmed that a huge sum of money has been poured into the nation in an attempt to convert Hindus. “ Secularism is the seed for disintegration of the state,” he said.
Deep Kumar Upadhyay, central working committee member of the NC, bemoaned the party’s decision to go for a secular state. “NC should rectify its decision. If the party fails to act on it soon, it shall come right back at us.”
Also addressing the function, senior advocate Kumar Regmi presented his views on the relevance of a Hindu state in Nepal.
The pro-Hindu NC leaders suggested a referendum to declare the country a Hindu state. Several of them said they would press the House to declare Nepal a Sanatan Hindu State in the new constitution.Kul Bahadur Gurung, Pushpa Bhusal, Laxman Ghimire, Purna Kumar Sharma Limbu, Marshal Julum Shakya, Duryodhan Singh Chaudary, Parvati Chaudary, Swarna Jawrchan and Keshav Thapa, among other NC leaders, were present during the launch.