Religion, democracy, and the making of a liberal republic

Nepal’s debate over Hindu statehood is usually posed too narrowly: as a choice between the present constitutional arrangement and a return to formal Hindu privilege. The larger question is what kind of political community Nepal is becoming. Can religion remain culturally alive while citizenship remains equal and political authority non-confessional?

The Nepali term dharma-nirapekshata can carry an adversarial connotation of standing entirely apart from religion. Standard English usage does not necessarily convey this nuance. This semantic friction has sometimes been used to portray the post-monarchy state as actively anti-Hindu, including by projecting the more rigid, faith-exclusionary features of Western models such as French laïcité onto a constitutional order that does not share them.