Nepal to stay secular, proposal for a Hindu nation rejected

A group of Hindu activists carrying yellow and saffron flags protested the rejection of the proposal

A proposal to declare Nepal a Hindu state was today overwhelmingly rejected by the Constituent Assembly which reaffirmed that the Hindu-majority nation will remain secular.

The proposal made by pro-Hindu National Democratic Party Nepal to amend the Constitution to make Nepal a Hindu state was rejected by more than two-thirds of lawmakers who declared that the country should remain secular as the Constituent Assembly resumed voting on individual articles of the draft Constitution.

After Assembly Chairman Subas Chandra Nembang announced that the proposal has been rejected, Kamal Thapa, leader of the National Democratic Party Nepal, demanded split voting.

Thapa's proposal for a vote received the support of only 21 lawmakers in the 601-seat Constituent Assembly. As the CA Rules requires 61 persons to begin the split voting, the voting was not done.

The erstwhile Hindu state, Nepal was declared a secular state in 2007 after the success of the People's Movement of 2006.

During a public opinion collection held in July, majority of the people preferred the word 'Hindu' or 'religious freedom' instead of using the term 'secularism'.

Protesting the rejection of the proposal, a group of Hindu activists carrying yellow and saffron flags clashed with security personnel at New Baneshwar area in the capital.

The clash erupted after police used force to disperse the agitating activists who tried to enter the prohibitory area near the Constituent Assembly building.

They wanted to march towards the Assembly, demanding that Nepal be acknowledged as Hindu state in the new constitution.

The protesters attacked passing vehicles, including one of the United Nations.

Nepal yesterday entered the final phase of promulgating its new Constitution with the three major parties going ahead with clause-wise voting on the final draft of the statute despite a boycott by Madhesi parties and violent protests that have claimed nearly 40 lives.

The Madhesi parties are protesting against the seven province model of the federal structure as proposed by the major political parties.

Southern Nepal has witnessed turmoil since lawmakers from major political parties struck a breakthrough deal on August 15 to divide the country into seven provinces.