Restoration of Hindu Kingdom?

By Jeevan Baniya

When the country was mourning on the death of the senior leader Girija Prasad Koirala and I was obviously a part of like millions of Nepalis in Nepal and abroad.

For me, the most worrisome thing about his death was that his absence will further threaten and complicate the peace process and the constitution writing process as many have shared the same feeling.

But the issue here is something different. The very next day of Koirals’s death, one was very much drawn by the statement from a Bharitiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Raj Nath Singh, who was insisting on the reinstatement of Hindu Kingdom in Nepal and also extended his support and commitment to the mission. His articulation matched with that of the Hindu extremist organisation called ‘Bhisma Ekata Parishad’ who called a strike on the very day demanding for restoration of Hindu Kingdom in Nepal. This is a dangerous sign for Nepal.

It seems all these development along with Khum Bahadur Khadka’s recent visit to Kali Baba and ex-king Gyanendra's recent remarks and Kamal Thapa’s insistence over the demand for referendum on whether the country to remain Hindu Kingdom or secular one, indicate a potential danger of communal and religious violence in the country.

Not surprisingly, no one has questioned on what ground Raj Nath Singh advocated against secularism in Nepal when the CA has already declared the state as a secular state. Moreover, this is an internal business of Nepal and his statement amounts to interference in the internal affairs of Nepal. I wonder how Raj Nath will react if any one of Nepal's leaders speaking that way on India's internal matters. It's a matter of consolation for us that BJP did not win the general election– good for Nepal’s peace process and restructuring process.

Before articulating any views and argument for or against Hindu or secular state, one has to study the historical relation between religion and citizens.

It is crystal clear that Hindu religion provided most power to certain castes in the hierarchy i.e. Brahmins and Chhetris, who remained most privileged and they dominated the political, economic and social order in Nepal. This started especially with the introduction of the Muluki Ain or Country Code.

The hegemony these groups created by using all social, political and economic opportunities has widely contributed to dominance, marginalization, oppression, discrimination of other minority groups. It is worth acknowledging here that Nepal as a Hindu State remained highly exclusionary and discriminatory to languages and cultures of non-Hindu and indigenous groups. It can be better understood if we can analyze it from the perspectives of minority and excluded groups.

If we visit the history and see how the state was structured in the past, how it maintained its power in relation to its people and how it legitimized its power relations, it becomes evident that various groups and communities, who have been demanding their rights, were largely excluded and marginalized from social, political, economic and cultural spheres. Hence their demand for their rights is natural and necessary in this particular juncture of history.

Of course, the problem, as Hachhethu Krishna once pointed out, lies in the history, but unfortunately history can not be corrected now. But it is high time we have to rewrite that history in which no Bahun-Chhetri or no group will be exploiters, oppressors and internal colonizer.

Therefore, nation-building process should move ahead on the basis of multicultural and multi-religions, but not on the basis of one particular religion. There is nothing wrong with Nepal being a secular country. Rather, it can contribute to overall development in Nepal. There will remain no chance for the dominance of certain group/s standing as obstacle, as Dor Bahadur Bista once described ‘Bahunbad’ as a major obstacle for development of Nepal.

Although some people even argue that weaker groups and powers have always been overrun by stronger powers and groups, it will be highly biased and irrational, however, to advocate for the continuation of such tradition, which leaves other groups still marginalized, excluded and discriminated even in this modern world. Hence, it is the time when we need to be more sensitive towards the issue of ethnicity and their identity, and pre-empt the danger of potential communal violence.

One the one hand, it is necessary to address these issues wisely and carefully; on the other hand, the country also needs to combat extremist forces that have been active to destabilize the country in one way or the other. Emergence of ‘Chhetri ethnicity’ and ‘Bahun ethnicity’ is an indication of possibility of sheer disability and growing tension. The problem behind this is either because of the lack of proper communication from political parties on the imagined structure of federalism and the rights of various groups within such state or because of exclusionary tendencies on the part of some ethnic groups who have demanded separate states on their ethnic line. Thus, challenge for our leaders is to address the issue of ethnicity, exclusion, discrimination and to maintain peace and stability in the country.

The country that has entered into a new zone with the aim of establishing federal democratic republic, in which the significant task of overall restructuring of the state is underway, needs to be inclusive so that people will have equitable representation and participation, equal access to and control over resources, equal rights of historically excluded and marginalized groups and communities. So, emerging demands for ending inequality and emancipating poor and disadvantaged sections of society who lacked adequate resources to attain acceptable standards of wellbeing and the equal participation in the activities of society, in itself should be considered as conducive to the healthy and prosperous Nepal.

Any attempt to resort to re-establishing Hindu Kingdom should be strongly discouraged. The most powerful weapon to fight against any destabilizing force in the name of religion or any other issue, at this time will be, to put in GPK’s words, ‘Sahamati, Saha Karya and Sambad’ (consensus, co-operation and dialogue). Otherwise, the country is doomed to fail in no time.

(Baniya is a PhD candidate at the University of Oslo, Norway. He can be reached at: baniyajeevan@hotmail.com)

(This article was originally published in www.nepalnews.com)

http://www.nepalnews.com/main/index.php/component/content/article/13-top-column/4987-restoration-of-hindu-kingdom.html