"Declare Nepal a Hindu Kingdom"

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KATHMANDU, Nepal — Once the only Hindu kingdom in the world, Nepal was declared a secular state by its parliament in 2006, and the monarchy was abolished two years later.

Now, with a new constitution due in May, Hindu groups are pressuring the government to reinstate Hinduism as the state religion. Kalidas Dahal recently launched a nine-day prayer meeting to show the government that Hinduism still enjoys public support.

Dahal is backed by the Rastriya Prajatantra Party-Nepal, which supports the monarchy and Hinduism but holds just four of the 601 parliament seats. RPP-Nepal chief Kamal Thapa, who was home-affairs minister under the deposed king, said his party sponsored a petition for a citizens referendum that was signed by more than 2 million of Nepal's 27 million citizens.

In a nation where nearly 75 percent of the people are Hindus, Thapa says Hinduism is needed to preserve Nepal's cultural identity.

Source: http://www.chron.com