NEPAL, September 14, 2015 (Hindustan Times): Nepal’s lawmakers on Monday voted against an amendment proposal in a draft of the country’s new constitution to declare the Himalayan nation a Hindu state, triggering protests in the capital Kathmandu. Only 21 members of the 601-strong constituent assembly voted in favor of the proposal forwarded by the right-wing Rashtriya Prajatantra Party-Nepal. A proposal needs a two-thirds majority to be adopted. Nepal, a secular nation now, was a Hindu state for centuries until the abolition of the monarchy in 2006.
Protesters demanding restoration of the monarchy and Hindu nation status for the country clashed with police outside the constituent assembly building after the voting on Monday. Police used water cannons and baton-charged the protesters. Many people in Nepal believe the kings were a reincarnation of the Hindu God Vishnu. Despite Nepal becoming secular state, a section among the country’s majority Hindu population supports becoming a Hindu state and the restoration of monarchy.