Kathmandu, July 7: A debate over religion took place during the Nepali Congress Central Committee meeting. Senior leaders, including former General Secretary Dr Shashank Koirala and party spokesperson Dr Prakash Sharan Mahat, argued in favor of religious freedom instead of secularism as enshrined in the Constitution. They proposed replacing the term “secularism” with “religious freedom” and advocated for respect toward followers of all religions.

Dr. Shashank proposed that the starting point for constitutional amendment should be religion, in line with the seven-point agreement signed between Nepali Congress and CPN-UML on Asar 17, 2081 (early July 2024). “Let’s replace secularism with religious freedom. That same agreement also talked about amending the constitution—this is where we begin,” he said. “Let’s elect all members of the House of Representatives through direct voting and the National Assembly through full proportional representation. The current electoral system prevents any party from winning a clear majority.”

Spokesperson Dr Mahat echoed Shashank's views, saying failure to clearly and strongly represent religious and cultural identity could cause serious harm. He emphasized the need to embed religious freedom in the Constitution to foster respect for all faiths.

“We represent people who follow Hinduism, Buddhism, Kirat, and indigenous nature-worshipping traditions. That’s our party’s stand—right to the center,” Mahat stated. “Communists reject religion, but we are believers. That’s our ideological foundation. We must guarantee and protect the rights of all religious followers,” he said. “Religious freedom is a fundamental right in any democratic society. It must be protected. The party should preserve this ideological ground.”

Nepali Congress leader Dr. Shekhar Koirala has also long spoken against secularism and advocated for religious freedom. Though his written submission to this Central Committee meeting did not address the issue directly, he has consistently supported religious freedom in public speeches and interviews.

Meanwhile, a faction within the party led by Central Committee member Shankar Bhandari has formed a Sanatan Hindu Nation Campaign, pressuring the party to take a formal stance in favor of a Hindu state. Although more than a thousand members of the General Convention have signed the campaign's proposal, the party has yet to formally acknowledge or address it.

People’s News Monitoring Service