Nepal’s declaration as a secular state–by a self-appointed bunch of Maoists and other fellow-travellers–spelt an end to the only Hindu kingdom in the world. A spineless India hasn’t for nearly 60 years, been able to muster enough courage to state internationally that it was the land where Hinduism originated and where Hindus are the majority. Nepal on the other hand, defined itself as one. Thanks to Gyanendra’s political bumbling, that seems to have come to an end. What we might witness if the Maoist ruffians gain the upperhand is elucidated masterfully here.

The legislation that was passed without due process and in undue haste unceremoniously jettisoned Hinduism as the official religion of Nepal. This was in response to a few loud demonstrators calling for the secularization of the Nepalese state. Nepal’s minuscule Muslim and Christian minorities welcomed the abrupt Indian-inspired secularization that had no prior discussion nor referendum despite the fact that few Muslim or for that matter Christian countries are secular. For instance, neither the United Kingdom or the United States would meet the Nehruvian criteria of secularism! Much less any predominantly Muslim country.

A secular Nepal will not significantly differ from a secular India. As an example, here’s a partial list of all the worthies who welcomed this “secular” proclamation:

• Shri Syed Shahabuddin, President of the All India Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawarat
• Nepal minorities welcome secular state
• Christians, others welcome secular state in Nepal
• Movement brings change to Nepal

The common thread here is that the minorities are delighted at a “secular” Nepal. Predictably, these are the usual suspects: Marxists, Mullahs and Missionaries. By implication, it means Nepal was treating minorities shabbily so far, and becoming secular would eradicate this. However, there’s something deeper. We are probably about to witness the ugly game of minority-appeasement that’s so pervasive in India. The so-called minorities have free rein to convert, which about sums up secularism. Taboos will be injected in society on speaking the truth about certain uncomfortable things in the minorities’ religions.

In short, Nepal now presents an open field for mass conversion harvests. It is therefore no wonder that the list of groups is delighted at the secular turn of events. Ominous first signs have already appeared:

The leader of Nepal’s Maoist rebels has called for King Gyanendra, who handed back power last month after weeks of protests against his absolute rule, to be ousted and tried in court.

“There is no place for the King (Gyanendra) and he should be ousted,” Pushpkamal Dahal, also known as “Prachanda,” was quoted as saying by the Press Trust of India news agency on Saturday.

“The Nepalese people want to get rid of him as soon as possible. The people want the king to be tried in court and punished and all his wealth converted into national property,” he said.

I had mentioned earlier that only Gyanendra stands as the last chance for saving Nepal’s unique Hindu culture from the bloody designs of the marauding Maoists. He has fallen, and I’ve no sympathy for him. On the other hand, a great deal of blame rests with India’s irresponsible negligence in this matter, a fact that can reasonably be attributed to the Leftist loonies who comprise the UPA. Kanchan Gupta puts their misdeeds in perspective:

It’s hard to build a new house by demolishing the old one.” That’s how a Hindu citizen of Nepal reacted to Prime Minister GP Koirala’s questionable attempt to deface the symbol of the world’s only Hindu Kingdom by stripping the occupant of Narayanhity Palace of all powers and privileges and denuding the throne of both temporal and spiritual authority.

The cryptic comment that mocks at Mr Koirala’s parliamentary coup against the palace is rooted in native wisdom and has been quoted from an unlikely source - The Los Angeles Times. Out here in India, media reports would have us believe that Nepalis, to the last man, woman and child, are celebrating the near abolition of their monarchy.

For no newspaper or television channel in India has bothered to report the dissenting point of view in Nepal. Nor have Maoist sympathisers - if not card-carrying cadre - masquerading as television news anchors and newspaper journalists cared to report that thousands of people across Nepal have taken to the streets since Monday to demonstrate their support for the King and reject an illegitimate Pratinidhi Sabha’s criminal attempt to rob the Himalayan kingdom of its Hindu identity by declaring it a “secular state”.

[.]

Contrast the blackout of news about the resistance to Mr Koirala’s patently shortsighted attempt to appease Comrade Prachanda and his thugs to the over-abundant coverage of Maoist-inspired street agitation by Indian media. And you will get an insight into the warped worldview of those who control information flow in this country.

[.]

When this paper exposed how the UPA Government, at the behest of the CPI(M), was trying to cut a deal with Comrade Prachanda and his lieutenant, Baburam Bhattarai, and how senior functionaries of the regime were involved in secret negotiations with terrorists wanted by Interpol to punish King Gyanendra, more than eyebrows were raised in admonishment. Subsequent events have only confirmed what this paper reported.

Over the past year, we have witnessed an amazing coalescence of personal spite and Leftist perfidy, leading to the installation of a Government in Kathmandu whose leading lights have been pitilessly exposed in a detailed dossier prepared by the Research and Analysis Wing. It is unlikely that the “stalwarts of democracy” who now grace the corridors of power in Kathmandu have repudiated their disreputable linkages that form the bulk of the dossier.

But a Government that is willing to do business with the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) despite its chairman, Comrade Prachanda, declaring that his ultimate goal is to wage “national war against India” - a declaration that would naturally appeal to our Marxists - and facilitate the conversion of an ancient nation into a Communist state, can be expected to ignore disturbing facts about those who wield power in the interim.

[...]

Interestingly, Dinanath Sharma, one of the three interlocutors named by the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) to negotiate a deal with Mr Koirala’s Government, while reading out the terms of engagement, has demanded the dissolution of the reinstated Pratinidhi Sabha and the sacking of the Koirala Government as a first step before the Maoists join an interim administration which will hold elections for a Constituent Assembly. This should remove any doubts that may linger about Comrade Prachanda’s roadmap to Narayanhity Palace which, of course, he shall suitably rename to reflect his revolutionary credentials.

The Indian media has played its anointed part admirably well. Not one barring–surprisingly–the Slimes reported the Bhattarai-Karat meet. There’s every reason to believe that meeting posed a security threat for the nation. It did, for Nepal, as current events have proved. The media preferred to pretend no such meeting took place. In stark contrast, the (anti) Hindu proudly carried an “exclusive” interview with the terrorist-comrade Prachanda, for months together on its (online edition) front page while no other paper bothered about it; that can mean two things: either others didn’t think Prachanda wasn’t newsworthy or the (anti) Hindu’s reach is far deeper than one thinks. And I’m not insinuating that N Ram gets his orders from China… nah, that’s just a rumour.

Bottomline: Hinduism is about to be uprooted in the only Hindu country we had. As in India, Hindus in Nepal might soon have to cry in wilderness. There might however, be some hope if this news is any indication.

Hundreds of Nepalis in the southern town of Birgunj protested against the plan to turn Nepal into a secular state. The activists, who belonged to the World Hindu Federation (WHF) and Shiv Sena Nepal, organised rallies and blocked the Tribhuvan highway on the Bara-Parsa industrial belt near the Indian border.

This also proves the lies of the so-called “pro-democracy activists” (another name for Maoists) that the “secular” turn of events reflected the “Nepali people’s will.”

In the long run, it will be in India’s interests to see Hinduism restored to its rightful position in Nepal.