Hindu politician who converted to Christianity to fight for religious freedom
Kathmandu (AsiaNews) - "I come from the Hindu Kirat community but I want to announce that I follow the way of Jesus and the Christians," said Chandi Rai a member the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) who was recently elected to the constituent assembly.
Speaking with AsiaNews, Rai said that he never spoke openly about his conversion to Christianity before. Now he is ready to fight for a democratic and secular constitution open to religious minorities. "Traditional parties and leaders have ignored minorities because of the country's dominant Hindu culture," he explained.
Born in Khotang (eastern Nepal) into a Hindu family from the Kirat ethnic minority, Rai joined the Communist Party in 1979 as a young student.
For decades he taught in a high school in Pathari (Morang District, southeastern Nepal), winning many education awards.
After years of political activity, he decided to run for the new constituent assembly on 19 November 2013, and was elected in Mogang with more than 14,000 votes, thanks mainly to his support for freedom of faith.
For Rai, the separation of state and religion and freedom of faith are important for Nepalis.
"Hindus should not be afraid for their religion," he said. "They are free to practice their faith and it is appropriate that other groups enjoy the same freedom."
For the political leader, the Hindu majority has nothing to lose by opting for a constitution that protects freedom of religion. "Their only loss will be the loss of hegemony," he explained. Now "They no longer can discriminate against people for their faith or threaten those who convert."
According to Rai, democracy and secularism are two sides of the same coin. Only this approach can unite the country where different religions and ethnicities are often in conflict with each other. This way, all democratic rights can be protected, including religious ones.
The new member of the Constituent Assembly is keen to point out that there are no ulterior motives behind his conversion. "I have not converted out of any [material] interest," he said. "In fact, I want to show through my own experience the importance of religious freedom and encourage people to follow the faith of their choice."
The lawmaker has confidence in the new assembly, which was elected after the failure of the previous, Maoist-dominated one. In his view, religious freedom has already paid off because "Now many Hindus and Buddhists can convert to Christianity without fear of being ostracised by society."
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14/04/2008
