Kathmandu, Nov 12 (PTI) Nepal Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli on Tuesday said that there should be no politicking and extremism in the name of religion, asserting that the Himalayan nation respects each individual's right to choose their faith.
Oli made the comments during a meeting with the office-bearers of the Jain Swetambar Terapantha Sabha at his official residence in Baluwatar, Kathmandu.
He said politics should not be mixed with religion, as the state respects all the religions in Nepal, which is now a secular country.
"On the one hand, a campaign is being launched to declare Nepal as a Hindu state while on the other hand, efforts are underway to spread Christianity, cashing in poverty prevalent in a section of the society,” Oli said.
"We will gradually contain such practices. We should not harbour intolerance and narrow-mindedness in the name of any religion,” he said, adding, “It is an individual's choice which faith to follow and we respect that."
Nepal was declared a secular state in 2008 after the success of the people’s movement of 2006 which saw the abolition of the monarchy.