LALITPUR: Former Nepali Congress General Secretary Dr. Shashank Koirala has called for advancing the agenda of constitutional amendment, proposing major changes including the replacement of secularism with the principle of religious freedom.

Speaking at the ongoing Central Working Committee meeting at the party’s headquarters in Sanepa, Lalitpur, on Sunday, Koirala referenced the seven-point agreement between Nepali Congress and CPN-UML signed on Asar 17, 2081 (July 1, 2024), and urged the government to begin its constitutional reform with this revision.

“This government was formed with the aim of amending the constitution. Let the first amendment be this—remove secularism and establish religious freedom,” Koirala said.

He also proposed a major shift in the electoral system: the House of Representatives should be composed only of directly elected members, while proportional representation should be applied only in the National Assembly. If implemented, this would replace Nepal’s current mixed electoral system.

Koirala expressed his commitment to party unity and thanked party president Sher Bahadur Deuba for ongoing efforts.

Commenting on the role of lawmakers, he remarked, “We must shed the belief that being an MP is only about becoming a minister. I’ve been elected four times, yet never held a ministerial post.”