Nepali royalists launch new phase of protest for restoration of monarchy, ruling CPN-UML counters in defence of republic
Kathmandu: Nepali royalists on Thursday launched a new phase of protest for the restoration of monarchy, which saw hundreds of people chant slogans on the street on the first day.
In defence of the republic, a new political system adopted in 2008 in Nepal, t he ruling CPN-UML (Communist Party of Nepal--Unified Marxist Leninist) also held a counterprotest in the streets of Kathmandu in defence of the republic.
The ruling party, led by Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, organised a march in Kathmandu on Republic Day, entitled "Republic Mahotsav."
"The public became the rulers from this day onwards, following this pursuit, the CPN-UML today is marking the Republic Day as 'utsav' (grand celebration). The party, as well as I personally request everyone to strengthen the voice in support of the republic," Surya Dhakal, lawmaker from the CPN-UML, told ANI as he participated in the rally.
The ruling party cadres and supporters chanted slogans in support of the republic as they marched along the streets of the capital. In the wake of possible tensions, the local administration had designated two different areas and timings for the two groups to converge on the street.
But the royalist forces, who claimed to have started a "joint people's movement", forging a committee, attempted to block the roadways for the parading cadres of the ruling parties. Police held the royalists on the side until the ruling party's parade passed by.
The royalist right-wing Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP), the fifth largest party in the lower house of parliament, claimed that it would bring 25000 people onto the streets. As per the estimate of Nepal Police, about 3000 protestors hit the streets of Kathmandu.
Encouraged by rising frustration with the incumbent system, the royalist group of about 40 different factions has been demanding restoration of the Hindu kingdom, abolition of federalism, and a directly elected prime ministerial system, among other things. Restoration of the constitutional monarchy has been their bottom line.
Nepal, a Hindu kingdom, was declared a federal, secular, and republican state in 2008.
"We will reinstate him in Narayanhiti Palace (former royal palace) and coronate him, then only we will return back. Our protest will continue until we achieve it. All of our leaders- Rajendra Lingden, Gyanendra Shahi all are determined. This time we are here with about 40 different factions moving ahead together. We are on this movement unifying the hearts of people, and that would make the heart of the king," Sunita Gajmer, a royalist, told ANI.
Formed in the 1990s after the lifting of the ban on the formation of political parties by the then-monarchical system, the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) has since served as a force always supporting the Kingship. It has also been taking part in periodic elections and presenting its demands.
In 2008, right after the overthrow of the monarchy rule in Nepal, the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) secured 8 seats in the Constituent Assembly out of the 575-seat parliament. In the 2013 election, it was able to secure 13 seats. In 2017, it fell down to 1 seat, but it bounced back in the 2022 election with 14 seats.
Since its inception, the party has supported the Hindu State and Kingship as interdependent in the tiny nation buffered between two giants, India and China. The Himalayan Nation of Nepal has a population of 30.55 million and a Hindu population of 81.19%, as per the census of 2022.
The Monarch of the Himalayan Nation, which follows the lineage of the Shah dynasty, was revered as an incarnation of the Hindu god Bishnu. With abolishment monarchy it got limited to a very small group which now again is reemerging.
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