English
Kathmandu: A rousing welcome was given to the former King of Nepal, King Gyanendra Shah, by thousands of his supporters in Kathmandu on Sunday. The supporters welcomed him and demanded the restoration of the monarchy and the re-establishment of Hinduism as the state religion. The supporters gathered outside the main gate of Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu and jammed the main gate to welcome King Gyanendra, who was returning from a tour of western Nepal. Interestingly, some of his supporters were seen carrying posters of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. The RPP, established in the 1990s, is now leading the demand for the restoration of the monarchy.
The RPP, which made its place in the Parliament with one seat in the last election, has 14 seats out of 275 this time.
Notably, the party has the support of pro-monarchy allies. The current political situation in Nepal is getting warm as the next election to be conducted in 2027. It is very interesting to know how Gyanendra Shah was deposed and how the demand for a Hindu monarchy is rising in the neighbouring country.
The 77-year-old became king in 2001 when former King Gyanendra Shah was dethroned. Before that, his elder brother, Birendra Bir Bikram Shah, and his family were murdered. Until 2005, he remained the constitutional head of Nepal without any executive or political power. Later, he took full power in his hands, saying that he was doing so to defeat the anti-monarchy Maoist rebels.
Taking a major decision, King Gyanendra dissolved the parliament and put the leaders and journalists in jail. He then declared an emergency in Nepal and stopped the communication system. After all this, he started ruling the country with the help of the army.
This move led to massive protests in the country and forced the king to hand over power to a multiparty government in 2006.
The government signed a peace deal with the Maoists, ending a decade-long civil war that left thousands dead.
In 2008, in a major development in Nepal’s politics, the Parliament voted to end Nepal’s 240-year-old Hindu monarchy. Following this, the neighboring country became a secular republic. After this, Gyanendra had to abdicate the throne.
Participants at the rally in support of Gyanendra expressed their desire for a transformation in the political system to avert further decline in the country. “We are here to offer our unwavering support to the king and fully stand by him in his return to the royal throne,” stated 72-year-old Thir Bahadur Bhandari in an interview with the Associated Press. Analysts suggest that this shift towards monarchy in Nepalese politics reflects significant dissatisfaction with corrupt administrations and a yearning to revert to the era before the monarchy’s formal abolition after a major movement in 2008.
Despite being dethroned, Gyanendra Shah did not leave the country. On February 18, on the eve of Nepal’s National Democracy Day, he delivered a speech and requested people to unite to “protect, progress, and prosper the country” and appealed to the country to move towards the “path of progress”. “Politics that adopt a negative approach does not strengthen democracy,” he said, as quoted by The Print. “Egoism, personal interests and dogmatism of parties and the opposition cannot make democracy dynamic.”
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