Kathmandu, Feb 3 (NationPress) A member of the Nepali Congress has called on the party leadership to include a pledge for the establishment of a Vedic Sanatan Hindu state and the restoration of a constitutional monarchy in its election manifesto for the upcoming House of Representatives elections on March 5.

As parties, including the Nepali Congress, prepare to release their manifestos for the parliamentary elections, Lokesh Dhakal, a general committee member, has formally requested the newly elected leadership to make a significant political shift.

Dhakal, who serves as the joint coordinator of the Grand Campaign for the Establishment of a Sanatan Hindu Nation in Nepal, submitted his proposal to the party’s Central Working Committee, headed by President Gagan Thapa.

Thapa has historically been a strong proponent of the republican system within the party, dating back to his days as a student leader during the royal regime, post the royal coup in February 2005.

In the aftermath of the successful people’s movement in 2006, the Maoist party became a significant player in politics, leading to the first Constituent Assembly's decision to abolish the monarchy in 2008.

Nepal adopted secularism via the interim Constitution in 2007, a stance that was upheld in the new Constitution enacted by the second Constituent Assembly in 2015.

Nonetheless, a faction within the Nepali Congress, including Dhakal, has long championed the re-establishment of a Vedic Sanatan Hindu state, arguing that it is essential to Nepal’s national identity, given that over 81% of the population identifies as Hindu.

In his proposal, Dhakal asserted that Nepal’s identification as a secular state was imposed against the public's will, undermining the country’s shared cultural identity.

“The declaration of a secular state was made in opposition to the people's sentiment at a conspiratorial level, resulting in increased external encroachment on Nepal's indigenous Sanatan religion and culture, thereby weakening our shared identity and plunging the nation into a complex crisis,” he noted.

He further emphasized the necessity of reinstating a constitutional monarchy, advocating for a neutral head of state.

“Although the Nepali Congress felt pressured to adopt republicanism during the peace process and constitution-making, it is now vital for the party to acknowledge political realities, national needs, and public sentiment by committing to the restoration of the constitutional monarchy in its election manifesto,” he argued.

Dhakal is part of a group that previously initiated a signature campaign urging the party to establish a Hindu state policy during the General Committee meeting in February 2024.