The right-wing group Rastriya Prajatantra Party has launched a campaign in all the provinces. Hindu monarchy was abolished in Nepal in 2006. The new Penal Code which came into force in 2018 punishes all religious conversions.
Mumbai (AsiaNews) - A Hindu confessional party in Nepal has launched a campaign to re-establish the Hindu theocratic state. The Rastriya Prajatantra Party, a right-wing group, claims that the national spirit has been weakened by secularism. Sajan K George, president of the Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC), comments to AsiaNews: "We are very concerned about the campaign to restore Nepal as a Hindu state".
The party launched the "Mechi-Mahakali" initiative in all seven provinces of the country. A conference was held in Kathmandu during which the two presidents Pashupati Shamsher Rana and Prakash Chandra Lohani reiterated the importance of the Hindu State. According to them, the idea of a Hindu country is growing and for this reason it is necessary to respect the sentiment of the majority of the population, which professes Hinduism.
In Nepal, the Hindu monarchy was abolished in 2006 and in 2015 the first democratic constitution was approved. Since 2018, recalls Sajan K George, a new penal code punishes all religious conversions. The norm provides "that anyone who encourages or is involved in religious conversions through any means, can be charged with criminal offenses and serve up to five years in prison, in addition to paying a fine of 5,000 rupees".
In the country, he adds, "Christians are about 3% of the population. Of these, 65% is dalit, so they suffer double discrimination as a marginalized group. Christians are often accused of seducing the Dalits through money with the aim of converting them. These are false accusations ".