The constitution is the primary document through which a state and its people are bound legitimately. It provides a basis to guarantee the rights of the people; rights which encompass all aspects of life such as social, political, economic and religious. With the ongoing drafting of the constitution, there are various issues that need to be discussed to not only solve the current pressing issues, but in foresight of how Nepal will portray itself in the decades to come. The issue of secularism has drawn a lot of attention.

The debate between having Nepal as a Hindu state versus having Nepal as a secular state should not be based on preconceived ideas of the dominant religion, but rather on reasoned and elaborate discussions. Machiavelli argues that a state should be above every institution in order to avoid clash of interests. As such, a state should have no particular religion that it holds closer than others. In light of this theory, the idea of declaring Nepal as being a ‘Hindu’ state, or a state affiliated to any specific religion will go against the idea of democracy itself. It will be absurd to go back to being a Hindu state, as this step will only undermine the efforts of the people. Article 31 of the preliminary constitution draft states that “Every person shall be free to profess, practice and protect his or her own religion according to conviction and the freedom to separate oneself from any religion”. Clause 3 of the article forbids converting other people from one religion to other. There has been a considerable rise in proselytising seen in Nepal in recent years through Christian missionaries. However, secularism does not encourage this, as claimed by pro-Hindu groups.

While some of us supporting a Hindu state argue that the declaration of Nepal will uplift our name for being the only Hindu state of the world, we forget that we already have the identity of being a country with high religious tolerance.

When people’s rights are respected, they are unlikely to turn to acts of deviance. Secularism here is an important step towards curbing the path of religious extremism. Secularism is also needed to avoid the possibility of religious conflicts. One of the fundamental teachings of all religions is that of co-existence. And in order for a state to guarantee coexistence among all religions, secularism might be the only way. Through this, a state rises above being influenced by a religious power and can also function through scientific approaches rather than through religious beliefs.

The relationship of the state and the people is and should be equal regardless of religious differences. As such, a state cannot be called to be of a particular

religion. Moreover, in a society where different religious groups have been so closely integrated, interdependent and have maintained religious tolerance for centuries, declaring Nepal as a secular state will only formalise what has always been in place.