Multiple rallies seek restoration of monarchy in Nepal

‘Narayanhiti Khali gara, hamra raja aaudai chhan‘, (vacate the Royal Palace, we are bringing out king back), was the dominant slogan chanted during the procession as it paraded nearly four-kilometre route, from Babar Mahal to the erstwhile Royal Palace on Durbar Marg.

Former King Gyanendra, who gave a call to the people to join him to take the country to the path of unity, peace and development through a message more than a fortnight ago, was in a pilgrimage some 300-km west in Galeshwar Dham and Baglung Kalika, where large number of people welcomed him , and some of them raised slogan like ‘Raja aau, Desh bachau’ (king must come to save the country.

On Tuesday, the former King had been accorded a massive welcome in Pokhara, 200-KM west from here, with the same slogans.

Wednesday’s rally in Kathmandu had participants from both Rashtriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) and the “Save the Nation, Culture and Dharma” campaign.

The RPP announced that it will cancel its other scheduled programme and organise a grand welcome to the former king when he returns from Pokhara — he has been camping there for the past six weeks — to Kathmandu on March 9.

The Oli government’s discomfort was no less in the House. Two members – Gyanenda Shahi of the RPP and Manish Jha of the Rashtriya Swatantra Party warned the government against any move to terminate the services of Kulman Ghising, who has earned the reputation of a successful executive chief of the Nepal Electricity Authority for not following the “unauthorised orders” of his line minister.

Speaker Dev Raj Ghimire instructed the government to inform the House about the latest on the issue as members warned of serious consequences of his dismissal.

Energy Minister Dip Khadka has issued several show-cause notices to Ghising which looked like a prelude to his dismissal, but each time Ghising has responded by stating the minister was not within his right to issue such a show-cause.

Sishir Khanal, another member of the RSP asked whether Prime Minister Oli was “on the way to become a Hitler.”

A series of arrests and torture of people raising slogans against Oli in the recent weeks and days, and the suspension of press passes of two journalists for asking him hostile questions have earned wide criticism of the government in general and the prime minister in particular.