A Nepali Congress leader has urged the party to include a commitment to establish a Vedic Sanatan Hindu state and reinstate a constitutional monarchy in its election manifesto for the upcoming House of Representatives election on March 5. Lokesh Dhakal, a general committee member of the party, emphasized the need for a political course correction. Dhakal, who is also the joint coordinator of the Grand Campaign for the Establishment of a Sanatan Hindu Nation in Nepal, presented his proposal to the party’s Central Working Committee led by President Gagan Thapa.
Thapa, a supporter of the republican political system within the party since his student leader days during the royal regime in February 2005, has been a key figure. After the people’s movement in 2006, the Maoist party entered mainstream politics, leading to the abolition of the monarchy in 2008 by the first Constituent Assembly. Despite Nepal adopting secularism in 2007 through the interim Constitution, which was later retained in the 2015 Constitution, a group of Nepali Congress leaders, including Dhakal, advocate for a Vedic Sanatan Hindu state.
Dhakal’s proposal argues that Nepal’s secular state declaration goes against public sentiment and weakens the country’s cultural identity. He highlighted the increasing external influence on Nepal’s indigenous Sanatan religion and culture, which he believes has led to a crisis. Stressing the necessity of a neutral head of state, Dhakal called for the restoration of a constitutional monarchy. He urged the Nepali Congress to commit in its election manifesto to initiating the monarchy’s reinstatement, aligning with political realities, national needs, and public sentiment.
Dhakal, part of the group that initiated a signature campaign for a Hindu state restoration policy during the party’s General Committee meeting in February 2024, continues to advocate for these changes.
