‘Blessed’ Bhattarai
Recall the Maoist cadres who shot dead the sons who were in mourning for their parents. Recall the defilement of Shiva temple in far west by Maoist cadres saying religion was a crime. Contrary to that party ideologue, Baburam Bhattarai began his election campaign from Gorkha by bowing before the almighty Gorakhnath, the famous ascetic who is considered to the Avatar (incarnation) of Shiva, Nepal’s presiding deity. Dr. Bhattarai bowed before the priest of the Gorakhnath temple in Gorkha in ‘obeisance,’ and empowered with the blessing hit the election campaign.
A few years ago, Dr Bhattarai had taken his old parents to Manalapan temple in Gorkha, the abode of goddess of Shakti, although he later had pleaded that he had gone there as a tourist. Is this an exercise of the right to religion by Bhattarai, and an indicator that Maoists will now onwards respect others’ right to religion and rituals?