Don't even think about it
Kathmandu Post
Nepal, July 6 -- It is no secret that Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli is sceptical about federalism and secularism. The cat is out of the bag yet again, this time through what could be termed a formal attempt at relinquishing the two fundamental tenets of the 2015 Constitution of Nepal. On Saturday, during the CPN-UML's Central Committee meeting, youth leader Mahesh Basnet proposed reviewing the constitutional provisions of federalism and secularism, claiming that the party chair-Prime Minister Oli-had agreed to hold deliberations on the proposal.
That such a proposal was made by Basnet, who is considered to be Oli's handyman, should be of concern. This is not to undermine the agency of a youth leader elected by the people; but there is no reason not to believe that his proposal could be a way of testing the waters: If the public reacts disapprovingly, Basnet's statements could be passed off as just another personal opinion of a youth leader who is controversy's favourite child, and who does not represent the party; if the public shows some interest in Basnet's statements, it could be taken up further and mainstreamed in the party's ideological standpoint in the run up to the upcoming elections.