Amid Pro-Monarchy Protests, Nepal Sees an India Hand

The pro-monarchy forces in Nepal have been flexing their muscles for several months. Last Friday’s protests  calling for the restoration of King Gyanendra and reverting back to Nepal’s status as a Hindu kingdom turned violent when demonstrators clashed with the police, who used tear gas and water cannons to disperse the angry mob trying to break through the  barricades. Houses  were also set on fire. Curfew was imposed in several localities of Kathmandu, the capital city. Counter demonstrations against the royalists  were also held in several localities. 

Though protests and demonstrations are routine in South Asia’s noisy democracies, the surge in the support for King Gyanendra, have significant political implications . Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli leader of the Communist Party of Nepal (United Marxist-Leninist) heads a strong coalition government with the backing of the Nepal Congress, and is not one to take things lying down.  

He is reported to have asked the youth wing of his party on Wednesday to oppose the monarchists, saying: "No one can take away the rights we have fought for. The youth can best affirm this. If anyone dares to destabilise the country, the Youth Federation will strike back like a tiger," he said, lauding volunteerism as a strong foundation for national service. "If any regressive force confronts us head-on or attempts to obstruct development efforts, we must firmly resist," Oli said. 

Nepal abolished the monarchy in 2008, and adopted a Republican Constitution in 2015. Nepal’s Maoists had launched a protracted armed insurgency against the King’s army from 1996 to 2006.

Gyanendra succeeded his brother King Birendra to the throne in 2001, following  a shocking palace massacre by the Crown Prince Dipendra who shot dead nine other members of the royal family including the King in a moment of madness. Gyanendra  was King till 2008, when Nepal finally succeeded in abolishing the  monarchy. He was a hugely unpopular ruler and tried to subvert elected governments and take control. Gyanendra’s  attempt at bring back the monarchy has much to do with the failure of Nepal’s bickering political parties to deliver. Much time is spent on political wranglings rather than on alleviating poverty and bringing much needed development to the long suffering people of the country. Corruption is also rampant. 

Many in Nepal believe that Gyanendra is being emboldened by Hindutva forces in neighbouring India. In a statement that eight prominent citizens and intellectuals of Nepal released on March 24, Gyanendra was warned not to endanger the Constitution.    

"The public knows well that Gyanendra Shah has been lobbying India’s political establishment to get back to the throne in Nepal. This is the same political class of New Delhi which seeks constantly to intervene in the affairs of India’s smaller neighbours, and which outdid itself by blockading Nepal for nearly half a year in 2015.

It is common knowledge that the political leadership in New Delhi is unhappy with the Constitution of Nepal (2015), and seeks to benefit electorally in India by trying to engineer an abandonment of secularism in Nepal and the establishment of a ‘Hindu state’. Meanwhile, BJP Chief Minister Adityanath of Uttar Pradesh, host to many visits by  Gyanendra to Lucknow, has publicly expressed his desire for Nepal to revert to monarchy. Any move to return to monarchy with the support of Hindutva fundamentalists of India weakens Nepal’s sovereignty and independence,’’ the signatories said. 

Despite the corruption and disappointment with political parties, Nepal is not ready to welcome back the King. The government is likely to crack down on the pro-monarchy forces. But the monarchy does have the support of sections of loyalists who believe the country was better off under the monarchy. 

Asian giants India and China are keenly following developments in Nepal. New Delhi has watched China steadily spread its wings in its neighbourhood. Yet,  both countries want stability in the region, and hope that Nepal does not slip into another bout of civil strife.