KATHMANDU, May 19: Rabindra Mishra, the senior vice-chairman of the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP), has criticized a US State Department report on religious freedom that claims India’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has been funding political parties in Nepal to promote the demand to revive Nepal as a Hindu nation. “It is very unfortunate to note that a highly responsible institution like the US State Department has come out with some serious allegations regarding Nepal entirely based on hearsay,” Mishra has said in a statement posted on his social media accounts.
Mishra posted the statement on his official facebook page on Friday expressing concern that the US State department’s report categorically fails to provide evidence on several allegations and keeps on quoting “civil society”, making unsubstantiated statements.
According to the International Religious Freedom Report-2022 by the State Department, it is stated that certain politicians affiliated with the Rastriya Prajatantra Party in Nepal have been leveraging anti-Christian sentiments as a means to gain support from the public.
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“I believe that the United States is well aware of the problem of misinformation and disinformation and the negative impact such false information can have on the reputation of a political party,” Mishra said.
He added, “Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) is a positively nationalist force and believes in maintaining friendly relations with all countries, concerned groups and political parties around the world. It truly appreciates the assistance provided by the US government to Nepal for several decades.”
“RPP, however, refuses to be pressured by any foreign groups, parties or states. At the same time, RPP genuinely believes in religious freedom and harmony, which were happily enjoyed by Nepal prior to 2008, when secularism was conspiratorially enforced by the vested interplay of internal and external forces,” Mishra said.
“As a responsible political party that believes in individual freedom, RPP does not involve itself in activities that create sentiment against any particular religion or group. Since the declaration of secularism, Nepal has been experiencing one of the fastest religious conversion rates in the world. Conversion has become a matter of organized foreign influence, rather than of free personal choice,” Mishra stated.
Emphasizing that this report is creating a serious concern regarding the possibility of religious conflict, as well as the adverse impact on Nepal’s centuries old rich culture and civilization, Mishra looks for the Nepal government to make an official statement on the matter.
The US State Department Report on International Religious Freedom covers government policies violating religious belief and practices of groups, religious denominations and individuals, and US policies to promote religious freedom around the world.
