KATHMANDU, NEPAL, October 28, 2008: Ethnic minorities in Nepal are unhappy with the Maoist government’s implementation of its view of a secular state. Although seven minority holidays have been added to the Nepalese calendar, Hindus are granted three days for the Tihar (Diwali), seven for Dashain, and many others during the course of the year. At Dashain, the greatest National holiday, the government also gives state employees a bonus equal to a month’s salary. The ethnic minorities consider this discriminatory, and are demanding more secularism as promised by Prachanda after his rise to power in April of this year.
Krishana Bahadur Bhattachan, a sociologist and a member of the Nepal Federation of Indigenous Nationalities, explains, “When our children are compelled to celebrate Hindu festival because the government does not provide holidays during our festival, then how long do our festivals and culture exist? The Maoist government was expected to work in favor of minority groups, as the party had given many assurances.”