PM Oli condemns former King’s recent moves, oppn leaders claim ruling coalition’s collusion with former king
KATHMANDU, March 10: A huge crowd of supporters of former King Gyanendra Shah swarmed the roads of the capital on Sunday demanding restoration of monarchy in Nepal amid the dwindling contemporary political and economic situation of the country.
The former king was scheduled to travel from Pokhara to Kathmandu via a chartered helicopter ride which was slated to reach the Tribhuvan International Airport at 3:00 pm. In line with this travel itinerary and the plan of the monarchists led by Rastriya Prajatantra Party-Nepal president Kamal Thapa to stage a mega rally to support the king, thousands of monarchy sympathizers took to the streets to welcome former King Shah at the airport and rally behind him on his journey from the airport back to his residence Nirmal Niwas.
His supporters swarmed around the airport gate to welcome the king while some even managed to storm into the airport premises. Former King Shah popped out of the sunroof of his car to acknowledge the crowd by waving at them as his vehicle made headway from the airport to his residence. According to officials from the District Police Range, Kathmandu, more than 10,000 supporters of the former king attended the procession.
Monarchists followed the former king’s vehicle in a huge number of two-wheelers and four-wheelers, causing traffic congestion at multiple cross sections of the roads in the valley. They carried the national flag and held banners demanding re-installation of democratic monarchy in Nepal.
Before even having left for the capital, the former king was bid farewell by hundreds of supporters at the Pokhara International Airport where he boarded the helicopter ride chartered from Simrik Air.
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Tension prevailed at the airport premises after supporters raised slogans against Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli. As the sloganeering against the Prime Minister intensified, there was a brief scuffle between the security forces and supporters. Airport security personnel were deployed to bring the situation under control.
PM Oli condemns former king Shah’s recent moves
PM Oli condemned the former king’s recent activities as a means to destabilize the country. Addressing a meeting of the Sudurpaschim Province Assembly on Sunday, he expressed dissatisfaction over former king Shah's public statement on February 18.
“There is a growing trend of not following the constitution and laws. I was surprised to hear the former king's address," PM Oli said, “He said he’d come and save the country but what has happened to the country that it needs saving? They are attempting to destabilize the country by organizing such activities.”
Oli argued that the activities of former king Shah and royalist groups would hamper the democratic process. “Instead of teaching that the government should be run according to the constitution, he is appealing for support,” he said, “If he wants to join politics then he is welcome. What support does he need in that regard?”
PM Oli acknowledged that the country's economic situation was challenging and vowed to improve it within a year or two. He said entrepreneurship should be promoted with the goal of transforming Sudurpaschim into a developed province. He claimed that this would create employment opportunities.
Oppn lawmaker claims ruling coalition’s ‘collusion’ with former King
Member of the National Assembly from the main opposition party CPN (Maoist Centre) Suresh Ale Magar has expressed serious doubts about the government’s collusion in raising the voice in favor of monarchy recently.
Speaking at a special time in the National Assembly on Sunday, lawmaker Ale Magar questioned if there is any connection between the government and the voice in favor of monarchy.
“Some regressive elements are taking the political stage again. The 250-year-old monarchy had already been demolished with its last rites. But its demons have resurfaced and are talking about monarchy. It is not necessary to say much about the monarchy, I want to ask those people who want to restore the monarchy, who want to restore the monarchy in this country, what will happen after we get monarchy? It has been fifteen to sixteen years since Nepal became a republic. Before that, there was a monarchy for about 250 years. What happened in Nepal at that time? Our status was worsening daily. What are they trying to do by bringing back the monarchy?” he said at the meeting.
He conceded that there are some shortcomings in the current system but claimed that they can be corrected.
“Monarchy cannot be an alternative to a republic,” he said, “If there are shortcomings in the republic, it will correct them itself.” He argued that it was impossible to return to the monarchy now.
