Nepali Political Secularism as Majoritarian Secularism: A Critique to Bhargava

In this article, I provide a tentative interpretation of Nepali political secularism. The entry point is an article written on the subject by the prominent political theorist Rajeev Bhargava. I summarize the findings of his article, and I introduce some changes to his framework, moving from his view as a political theorist of secularism to mine as a religious scholar. Finally, I offer my own interpretation. In brief, I see political secularism in Nepal as a majoritarian secularism, that is, a secularism that limits but preserves the monopoly of Hinduism and the other major religions as a cultural and religious forces in the country.