Nepali Congress Faction Urges Inclusion of Vedic Hindu Nation and Constitutional Monarchy in Election Manifesto

Kathmandu. The Central Coordination Committee of the Nepali Congress, Vedic Sanatan Hindu Nation Establishment Mahabhiyan (Grand Campaign), has suggested that the party's upcoming election manifesto should incorporate the Vedic Sanatan (Hindu Nation) status and a constitutional monarchy. The Grand Campaign advised the party to return to its ideological and theoretical direction while submitting suggestions regarding the manifesto's drafting.

The suggestions, signed by the campaign's Co-coordinator Lokesh Dhakal, noted that the party's role and relevance in national politics have weakened due to the policies and leadership adopted over a long period.

The suggestion letter stated that the abrupt declaration of the nation as a secular state on Jestha 4, 2063 BS, was a serious assault on nationalism, national unity, and the fundamental identity of Nepali society. Dhakal alleged in the suggestion that this decision was against the public sentiment and a game played by foreign powers, accusing it of encroaching upon the faith and traditional religion and culture of the majority of the people.

Stating that many countries around the world are declaring their national religions, the suggestion mentioned that declaring Nepal a secular nation while nearly 95 percent of the population belongs to the Omkar family is against nationalism. The suggestion also factually mentioned that secularism has disturbed social harmony and the spirit of mutual brotherhood, and the millennia-old original Sanatan religion, culture, and tradition, which serve as Nepal's common identity, are being eroded.

The suggestion recalled that the Congress has accepted 'Constitutional Monarchy' as a primary political stance since its inception, noting that even when King Mahendra usurped democracy, B.P. Koirala understood that the monarchy was indispensable for nationalism and national existence, refraining from harboring resentment towards the monarchy.

The suggestion also recalled the instance where the late leader Krishna Prasad Bhattarai resigned from the party in disagreement with the declaration of a secular nation. The suggestion pointed out that the nation's nationality has become further weakened during the nearly 20 years of the republic, and the country has reached its most difficult situation since the Sugauli Treaty due to increased challenges to national integrity.

The suggestion letter urged the Congress to draft the manifesto in favor of the Vedic Sanatan (Hindu) Nation, respecting the demands and feelings of the general Nepali public and considering the consensus expressed in the Mahasamiti meetings, while also respecting the feelings of the Sanatani Omkar family, including Buddhists, Bon, Kirat, and Limbu. It requested that the manifesto be written in a way that ensures religious freedom for minority religious communities.

The campaign suggested that if the Congress moves forward by learning from its past political mistakes and making a political road correction, keeping the upcoming elections in mind, it can regain its glorious position and succeed in saving the country and steering the democratic movement in a positive direction. This includes making a commitment in the election manifesto that the Congress will take the initiative to re-establish the constitutional monarchy, respecting the needs of the country and the feelings of the people.

The suggestion stated, 'Since King Gyanendra has already expressed his readiness to cooperate in the work of saving the country in collaboration with political parties, now is the time for the Nepali Congress to take the lead and make the historic decision of restoring the Sanatan Hindu Nation and the monarchy amidst a general consensus among all parties in the country. If the Congress falters on this, the Congress will bear the loss, and the independent Himalayan nation of Nepal, which has never been subjugated, could suffer unimaginable losses.'

Here is the Grand Campaign's Suggestion: