Police reported dozens of injuries in the clashes in several southern towns, hours after protesters stormed the national stadium and threw chairs at the deputy prime minister.
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The preliminary draft has been sent to the people to solicit their suggestions on the provisions of the proposed constitution, drafted after months of negotiations between warring political parties.
On Monday morning, an unidentified group hurled a petrol bomb at the vehicle of Finance Minister Ram Sharan Mahat, who was travelling to his constituency in the district of Nuwakot, some 60 kilometers northwest of Kathmandu. Other demands include the restoration of Hindu status to Nepal in place of the “secular state” mentioned in the draft.
The monarchy promoted Hinduism and kings were claimed to be reincarnations of the Hindu god Vishnu.
“Nepal is a Hindu state and will remain a Hindu state”.
(MENAFN – The Journal Of Turkish Weekly) Nepali government drive to gauge public opinion on a much-anticipated constitution has turned sour after mad protesters clashed with police. “Nearly all Nepalese are Hindus and we will continue to protest until the country is declared a Hindu state once again”, said one of the protesters, Madhav Bhattarai.
The government has arranged for public hearing in 240 electoral constituencies between Constituent Assembly (CA) members and the general public for the two days.
The historic June agreement on the charter, which was spurred by April’s devastating natural disaster, aims to end years of political uncertainty in the impoverished country devastated by a decade-long war which ended in 2006 when Maoist rebels laid down their arms and entered politics.
At the meeting in Kathmandu Monday, participants also voiced concerns about the rights of women and minorities.
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Monday’s violence leaves the draft committee with limited options: not to take cognizance of the issues, or compromise on what it once said was the basic identity of a “New Nepal”.
