Kathmandu: Nepali Congress (NC) President and former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba emphasized the critical role of Nepal’s lingual diversity in safeguarding national identity. During a reception hosted by the Central Executive Committee of the Nepal Democratic Federation of Indigenous Nationalities, Deuba remarked on the importance of involving all castes and communities in nation-building efforts.
According to National News Agency Nepal, Minister for Culture, Tourism, and Civil Aviation, Badri Prasad Pandey, also addressed the gathering. He noted that the art and culture of each caste and community, alongside Nepal’s ethnic and linguistic diversity, have achieved global recognition. He announced plans for a new cultural policy reflecting ethnic communities’ sentiments and highlighted the Ministry’s receipt of 105 applications for listing intangible heritage, underscoring the need for collective efforts to protect cultural heritages.
NC central member Jeeph Chhiring Sherpa stressed the urgency of developing policies to protect the languages, religions, cultures, and identities of Nepal’s 124 ethnic communities. He urged the party to spearhead this initiative.
Dilman Pakhrin, Head of the Indigenous Nationalities Department of the NC, highlighted the 2007 Interim Constitution, drafted under NC veteran Girija Prasad Koirala’s leadership, as the first to constitutionally ensure the rights of indigenous nationalities, women, Dalits, and the working class.
Indra Bahadur Baniya, President of the NC Bagmati Province Committee, reiterated the NC’s commitment to economic prosperity and welfare, acknowledging the significant contributions of indigenous nationalities to the country’s development.
NC Mahasamiti member Gyaljen Sherpa underscored the party’s capacity to accommodate all indigenous nationalities within its structure. He pointed out that indigenous nationalities make up 37% of Nepal’s population, emphasizing the importance of their representation in state mechanisms and political empowerment as priorities for all stakeholders.