Kathmandu: Nepal parliament's proclamation declaring the world's only Hindu Kingdom as a secular state has evoked a mixed response with the majority Hindu groups saying the decision has hurt the community.
"The decision of the so-called Parliament has hurt the faith of the 900 million Hindu populace across the globe and brought about possibilities of a religious crusade in Nepal," Shiv Sena Nepal President Arun Subedi said.
The Parliament should not have panicked over preserving the only Hindu Kingdom in a world where 52 countries are Christians and 46 Muslims, the outfit said.
Arjun Lamichhane of the Bishwo Hindu Youth Federation said the issue of secularism should not be raised in a country where religious tolerance has always prevailed.
However, some minority ethnic groups have welcomed the decision. "With this declaration, the nation has moved towards ensuring social justice and harmony," Pasang Sherpa, general secretary of Confederation of Indigenous and Ethnic Groups of Nepal, said.
"We welcome the decision as minorities are exploited in a state that rules on the basis of a certain religion," he said.
DVK B Gurung, Chairman of All Nepal Ethnic Convention, said "imposing one religion in this religiously diverse population created friction and now the state is on the course of addressing this friction."
Muslim Ittehad Sangh, Tharu Students' Society, Nepal Christian Society, National Council of Churches of Nepal, Shree Bouddha Tamang Kalyan Guthi and The Council House of Tamu, also welcomed the declaration.
It is not yet clear whether cow slaughter will be allowed in Nepal or not after it turned into a secular state. Until now it was a punishable offence.
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