May 31, 2012

The King is gone, long live the King


By Utpal Parashar, Hindustan Times

Monarchy in Nepal ended four years ago. But the last monarch Gyanendra Shah hasn’t faded quietly into the sunset. The 65-year-old still manages to pull crowds during public appearances and there are many who want him back — as king. Pro-monarchy sentiments are very much alive in Nepal  and the recent failure of the Constituent Assembly, elected after Shah’s ouster, to deliver a new constitution could give royalists a fresh lease of life.

The deposed king is aware of such emotions and keeps making comments expressing concern for the present state of affairs. Now he and his followers have found another medium of expression, courtesy a pro-monarchy website launched recently.

The portal, nepalroyal.com, has become a platform for hundreds of royalists to express their dissatisfaction with the present political set up. It has a message from Shah as well.

“We have created this website for the citizens to express their views on the current situation of Nepal and suggest what sort of future they want to give their children,” the message reads. “As a citizen of this nation, I am concerned about the serious problems that you, I and my beloved nation are facing.”

The site is linked with another site www.nepalkoaawaz.com (Nepal’s Voice). Significantly, it was launched on May 27, the day the CA was dissolved and a day ahead of the fourth anniversary of Gyanendra’s deposition. 

The site seems to have been launched by Manisha Koirala, noted Bollywood actress from Nepal who belongs to the Koirala family of Nepali Congress, the country’s first pro-democracy party. 

“Yes your majesty, we totally agree with you. All Nepalis should come together and realise that if we let the situation be, we, our nation will suffer even further till there is no nation,” she comments.

In his remarks, former PM and member of pro-monarchy Rashtriya Prajatantra Party Lokendra Bahadur Chand thanks Koirala.


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