Nepal's Deuba embraces Hindu agenda he once opposed

Sher Bahadur Deuba, a prominent figure within Nepal's Nepali Congress party, has recently embraced the Hindu state agenda, a stark contrast to his previous stance. This development is particularly striking given that Deuba, during his tenure as party president, actively excluded the issue from formal party forums, even when numerous members supported it.

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Deuba has taken this line because he has no ground left to stand on.

The endorsement of restoring Nepal as a Hindu state has now surfaced within a national gathering of Congress leaders aligned with Deuba. This ideological pivot has sparked speculation about Deuba's motivations. Political scientists suggest that this move might stem from political insecurity and an attempt to regain relevance after being ousted from the party's leadership earlier this year.

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By adopting a regressive line that can push society towards another conflict, he is damaging whatever political space and sympathy he had regained.

Lok Raj Baral, a political science professor, views Deuba's adoption of this stance as a reflection of political vulnerability rather than a genuine ideological change. Baral argues that Deuba is leveraging a regressive issue that could potentially reignite societal conflict, thereby damaging any political standing he had recently regained. He notes that senior Nepali politicians often utilize sensitive issues like foreign relations or religion to maintain political relevance, especially when lacking progressive development agendas.

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They don’t have any progressive agenda for developing the country, so they use such cards to keep the political business going.

The campaign to reinstate Nepal as a Hindu state is not new within the Congress party. Following Nepal's declaration as a secular state, leaders like the late Khum Bahadur Khadka championed the cause. After Khadka's death, figures such as Shashank Koirala and Shankar Bhandari continued to advocate for it. Despite significant support, including over 1,000 signatures from Mahasamiti members in 2024, Deuba had previously rejected the proposal, citing the political climate as unsuitable for the party to adopt such an agenda.

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According to a leader involved in the campaign, Deuba told the delegation that the political situation did not allow the party to adopt the agenda.