A civil society gathering in Bengaluru asked last week if the Hindu Rashtra is on the horizon, with the NarendraModi government’s third term approaching. In order to determine if this is possible, we must first ask what Hindu Rashtra is and how it will differ from the current situation.
Nepal, until 2008, was the only Hindu Rashtra. Why was it known as a Hindu Rashtra? The Manu Smriti stipulates that the executive power was derived from a Kshatriya King (Chhetri). Nepal’s 1959 Constitution identifies the head of state as someone who is an “adherent of Aryan culture and Hindu religion”.
The 1962 Constitution defines Nepal as an “independent, indivisible and sovereign Hindu state” and repeats the formulation of the King as being Aryan and Hindu. The head Brahmin, Bada Gurujyu, and the officiating Priest (Mool Purohit) are part of the Raj Sabha or governing council.
Nepal’s 1990 Constitution defines the country as being “multi-ethnic, multi-lingual, democratic, independent, indivisible, sovereign, Hindu and constitutional…
