In recent times, political leaders and analysts alike acknowledge a growing interest among the public in Sanatan Dharma (eternal, primordial religion) and Hindu culture within the country.

As this renewed cultural and religious inclination emerges among a section of the population, monarchist groups have seized the opportunity to push for the reinstatement of a Hindu kingdom, making it a central part of their political agenda.

These groups, including the Rastriya Prajatantra Party and its splinter Rastriya Prajatantra Party Nepal, have declared a fresh protest campaign, with ‘indefinite’ demonstrations set to begin in Kathmandu from May 29.

In this context, a faction within the country’s biggest political party, the Nepali Congress, argues that in order to engage citizens who might otherwise be drawn to royalist forces, mainstream political powers should also consider adopting the Hindu state agenda. However, many in the second-largest party still appear uninclined to entertain such a possibility.

The inclusion of the term “secularism” in the constitution was not well received by a segment of the population. According to CPN-UML Deputy General Secretary Pradeep Gyawali, this discontent arises not so much from the principle of secularism, but from the religious conversions that have taken place under its pretext. He notes that people have begun to see secularism negatively as they see it as a licence for religious conversion.

“Political parties must address and dispel this misunderstanding by reaching out to the public,” Gyawali emphasises.

Although the Congress-UML government formed last year had constitutional amendment as its core agenda, Gyawali sees no possibility of amending the provision related to secularism. The two parties have yet to start the amendment process.

In 2021, UML chief and current prime minister Oli made headlines by claiming that Lord Ram was born in Chitwan district of Nepal. Oli, who was prime minister back then too, also instructed authorities to build a Ram temple there.

Oli’s decision to gold-plate the roof of the Pashupatinath Temple and replace the silver covering at the base of the Shivalinga in the sanctum sanctorum with a golden one was also seen as his attempt to exploit religion for political benefit, claiming it was his strategy to use Hindu religion to elevate the support for his party in the 2022 election.

But UML did not make religion their agenda in the 2022 polls.

Likewise, Gyawali sees no possibility of his party supporting either a constitutional amendment to restore Hindu state or contesting the next election with that agenda.

Some Congress leaders, including spokesman Prakash Sharan Mahat, one of the stalwarts of party chief Sher Bahadur Deuba, argue, as Mahat did in an interview with the Post, that revisiting secularism is not off the table in the Congress.

Mahat mentioned that the word secularism was included in the constitution under pressure from the CPN (Maoist Centre), and said: “The term secularism was borrowed from the European context, where it aimed initially to separate church from state, which is not the situation in Nepal,”

Mahat said the term had been included in the constitution at the insistence of the Maoist party.

In another recent interview with the Post, senior Congress leader Minendra Rijal also said that it was about time the party thought about ways to win back the conservative elements in society, including its “more religious segments”. This, he said, was vital if the party was to regain all the votes it lost between the last two elections, when its votes went down by around five percent.

These leaders believe the party can rethink its stance on secularism before the 2027 general election.

These leaders reckon rather than the party should work to instill confidence among the people that political parties are more than capable of preserving the country’s culture and religion. “For this reason, the party may turn to the Hindu state agenda before the next elections,” says a party leader.

Images of influential Congress leaders visiting temples routinely circulate on social media these days. According to another top Congress leader, such actions are “intended for times when the party may decide to shift course on religion”.

Influential party leaders like former general secretary Shashnk Koirala and dissident faction leader Shekhar Koirala, among others, have already publicly supported the idea of a Hindu state.

But political analyst Jhalak Subedi says that so long as Deuba maintains a stronghold in the Congress and the party has leaders who directly experienced the monarchy in decisive positions, there is no likelihood of the party embracing the Hindu state agenda.

“But if there is a shift in the balance of power within the Congress, voices supporting the agenda could grow louder,” Subedi said.

“As for the communist parties, they tend to espouse more liberal and socialist ideologies, making them unlikely to adopt Hindu state as part of their political platform,” Subedi said.

The debate within the Congress about the potential support for the idea of a Hindu nation is not new. Party president Deuba himself has publicly stated, at a formal event, that there can be discussions on revisiting secularism.

Two months earlier, the Professional and Intellectuals Department of Congress, along with the party-affiliated Democratic Lawyers’ Association (DLA), had submitted a report to party president Deuba suggesting that the party should rethink its stance on secularism.

The report was prepared after nationwide discussions. Though the party’s central working committee meeting, which was held soon after the committee submitted its report, did not decide on the issue, the report suggests that the party should be open to discussing the proposal for the reinstatement of the Hindu state.

However, not all Congress leaders support the idea. Some argue that there is no chance of the party making it a core agenda.

“There is no need for Congress to make a Hindu state its political agenda,” said Bimilendra Nidhi, an influential party leader. “And there is no chance that the party will change its stance on secularism,” said Nidhi, without elaborating why the party will stick to the agenda.

Leaders of the CPN (Maoist Centre) also dismiss the idea. Though public sympathy for the Hindu state has been increasing recently, the country is unlikely to be a Hindu state, says a CPN (Maoist Centre) leader.

“There is a faction within the Congress, and I also see a small section of UML leaders, who are fascinated with the idea of a Hindu state,” said Yuvaraj Chaulagain, a politburo member of the Maoist Centre. “But should these two parties stand in favour of the agenda, they will lose public support.”

Chaulagain also ruled out the possibility of his party backing such an agenda.

Likewise, DP Aryal, acting president of the Rastriya Swatantra Party, said the public is frustrated by poor governance more than anything else.

“It would be too early to predict how the upcoming election will unfold in terms of the agenda. However, for now, I don’t see much chance of our party changing its support for secularism,” Aryal said.