KATHMANDU, April 8: Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) leader Ujjwal Krishna Shrestha expressed regret over the removal of the monarchy, stating that it was a mistake driven by the misconception that the king was autocratic.
Addressing the protest rally organized by RPP in the capital on Tuesday, Shrestha admitted to participating in the movement to abolish the monarchy. He said the monarchy was overthrown largely due to active participation from the Newar community. “Movements without Newar involvement have never succeeded. Back then, the Maoists told us the king was autocratic, so we believed them and joined the movement. We played a decisive role in ending the monarchy,” he said.
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Shrestha, who claimed to have experienced direct rule by the king, said it was not autocratic. He recalled the period when party politics were suspended and communication channels like telephone and the internet were cut off. Even during that time, he argued, the king acted in the interest of the people, not as a dictator.
“I too lived under direct royal rule, it was not autocratic,” he said, “They told us our own son would become president in place of the king. But it seems this system was only brought to allow these thugs and looters to steal from the country.”
He said that although they were the ones who removed the king, they now plan to restore the monarchy through a new movement.
