Dharan Sub-Metropolitan City’s Mayor, Harikrishna Rai, is currently embroiled in a controversy over his divisive posts on social media. His immediate and strong reactions, even on trivial matters, have led to a heated debate over religious issues.
Mayor Rai has written 31 Facebook statuses within the last 21 hours. Among them, 14 statuses are about questions raised towards religion and comments on them. The statuses have sparked intense reactions, both in opposition and in support, from Hindu and Christian religious followers.
In one of his posts, Mayor Rai wrote, “Why don’t these extreme Hindu followers post a video when they go to the Pindeshwor Temple to offer water? I also visited a Gumba; you should post that too! This is called religious tolerance!”
He further wrote in another post, “Don’t just stop at insulting me during the Tamang community’s Lhosar by saying ‘Lasso Phyaphulla’; now the people calling me a Buddhist during the Christian program ‘Jai Masi’ are hilarious! How laughable, bigots!”
Despite these posts, the Mayor has not stopped. In another status, he wrote, “The increasing number of Christians is the reason to investigate why people are becoming Christians rather than just saying they are increasing. Which religion promotes caste-based discrimination? Which religion follows the caste system? Time will change; unity will come if we don’t cling to outdated customs!”
Mayor Rai is questioning the reason behind the rise in Christian believers and urging people to investigate instead of merely stating the increase in numbers. He asks, “Why focus on the increasing number of Christians? Why not investigate the reasons behind the increase? Which religion promotes caste discrimination? Which religion adheres to the caste system? With time, change will come, and unity will prevail if we let go of outdated customs!”
Discussion about this post