Kathmandu: A top leader of a pro-
monarchist party in Nepal has claimed that a "secret deal" has
been struck with the Maoist leadership to establish the
monarchy as the cultural symbol of the country.
Chandra Bahadur Gurung, the parliamentary party leader
of the Rastriya Prajatantra Party-Nepal, claimed his party had
struck a secret deal with UCPN-Maoist "to retain cultural
king".
Gurung said RPP-N had reached a gentleman`s agreement
with the Maoists to retain a cultural king, but it was yet to
be inked. "Everything cannot be said now. When the time comes,
all will come out," Gurung was quoted as saying by the
Himalayan Times online today.
He said retaining the king’s (cultural) status would
not only be a victory for RPP-N but for all Nepalis.
Maoist leader Prachanda has openly wooed the RPP-N,
which has five key votes in 601-member Parliament, for their
support in his bid to become the country`s prime minister for
the second time.
It is widely believed to have supported Prachanda
during the fourth round of voting on August 8, though the
Maoists` supremo failed to get a majority support in the
House.
Gurung said his party would soon launch a "chariot
journey" across the nation to garner public support to restore
Nepal as a Hindu state. Nepal`s interim parliament in 2006
declared the country a secular state soon after King Gyanendra
was stripped of his absolute power.
65-year-old Gyanendra, who was dethroned in May 2008
when the country`s Constituent Assembly voted to abolish the
monarchy and declare a republic, has stepped up his public
appearances amid the constitutional crisis in the country. The
country has been in political limbo since the
resignation of Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal, who is
currently heading a caretaker government.
Supporters of the monarchy in Nepal, where kings have
been revered as the reincarnation of the Lord Vishnu, have
demanded a national referendum to decide if the centuries-old
monarchy should be revived.
Even Gyanendra has hinted that the monarchy may one
day be restored. In an interview aired last year, he did not
rule out the revival of the monarchy if the people believed
the institution was important for the country.
Mass protests against Gyanendra, who became the king
in 2001 after the death of his elder brother Birendra in a
palace massacre, finally culminated in the abolition of the
monarchy soon after the United CPN-Maoist emerged as the
largest party in the 2008 assembly polls.
PTI
