Take them to the tower: As Scotland's NHS is on its knees nationalist MSPs want to end oath of allegiance to King
The move would require rewriting the Scotland Act which underpins devolution and votes in the House of Commons, House of Lords and Holyrood.
The Scottish Conservatives said voters crying out for improvements in the NHS, education and policing would be repelled by the 'constitutional navel gazing'.
Tory MSP Murdo Fraser called it 'the worst sort of petty student politics'.
He said: 'Scots will be outraged SNP MSPs are focusing on this issue while our public services collapse around them.
'Parliament should be holding this failing SNP government to account on so many issues such as the ferry scandal, Scotland's record level of drug deaths and our flagging economy, rather than wasting time discussing this.
'It is typical Nationalist MSPs are yet again putting their obsession with the constitution above everything else and things that really matter to people.'
Statistics this week showed worsening A&E waits, with more than a third of patients waiting more than the four-hour target to be seen, and growing numbers of cancer deaths.
Recent weeks have also revealed a 15 per cent surge in drug overdoses, a stubborn attainment gap between rich and poor schools pupils, and growing numbers of crimes going unsolved.
The annual GERS report also indicated a £26.5billion gap between public spending in Scotland and what is raised in tax, driven in part by a runaway welfare budget.
Scotland is also still stuck in a cost of living crisis that has seen bills continue to soar.
The row was triggered by former SNP minister Kevin Stewart calling for Scotland to follow the example of one of the smallest nations in the Commonwealth.
The Caribbean island of Grenada last month agreed to change its oath of allegiance to remove the words 'His Majesty King Charles the Third, His Heirs and Successors'. In future, parliamentarians will simply swear allegiance to 'Grenada'.
Mr Stewart tabled a parliamentary motion on Tuesday.
The Aberdeen Central MSP said Holyrood should 'commend' Grenada for dropping 'the oath of allegiance to the British crown'.
Urging MSPs to recognise 'the people of Scotland are sovereign', he said Holyrood 'should have the power to follow Grenada's lead and have its members pledge allegiance to the people of Scotland and not an unelected monarch'.
By Wednesday night, the motion had been signed by another 11 SNP MSPs, including former housing minister Paul McLennan and ex-minister for parliamentary business George Adam. Scottish Green MSP Ross Greer and Labour left-winger Mercedes Villalba also supported the call, as did SNP-turned-independent MSP John Mason.
A host of MSPs have complained about the oath since the Scottish parliament was revived in 1999.
Within minutes of the devolution era beginning, then SNP leader Alex Salmond stated his 'primary loyalty lies with the people of Scotland' before being sworn in as the third ever MSP.
Then Scottish Socialist Party leader Tommy Sheridan was sworn in 'under protest' in 1999, saying it was at odds with his 'vision for Scotland' as a 'democratic socialist republic'.
In 2003, fellow Scottish Socialist Rosie Kane famously made her affirmation with 'my oath is to the people' written on her upraised palm.
Hitting out at the latest bid to undermine the oath, Mr Fraser added: 'This is a shameless bid from an Nationalist MSP to try and pander to republican voters inside and outside of his party.
'The reality is the King and the monarchy remain one of the most loved and respected institutions across Scotland.
'Most people will wonder why Nationalist MSPs are focusing on this constitutional navel gazing when they should be tackling the real priorities of Scots... rather than engaging in the worst sort of petty student politics.'
Alastair Cameron, chair of Scotland in Union, said: 'It's typical of the SNP to focus on trivial matters when so much else is going wrong. It's a waste of time and effort, and shows more than ever why Scotland must vote for change next May.'
Labour peer George Foulkes, a former MSP, said the SNP habitually obsessed about 'trivia' and 'vanity projects' and voters were 'increasingly fed up with them'.
He said: 'The papers are full of stories about people being let down by the NHS and schools and the justice system, yet the SNP is focused on irrelevancies.
'These strange diversions only play into the hands of the people who want to abolish Holyrood.'
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