'Nepal monarchists getting oxygen from India'

In Nepal, we certainly hear slogans of “bring back the king and save the country”. Some people call this MRM (movement for the restoration of monarchy). It is also true that ‘rajavadis’ or monarchists accorded a grand welcome to former king Gyanendra when he visited Kathmandu from Pokhara. They also held a demonstration on 28 March, which turned violent. But the fact is, this is being amplified and kept alive mostly from India.

I would be the first to concede that we communists failed to live up to people’s expectations and failed to fulfil all our promises. There is also dissatisfaction due to the anti-people policies of the current Oli government. This has undeniably fuelled the monarchist movement.

Oli is the leader who used to say that hoping for a republic in Nepal was like wanting to go to America by bullock cart. Unfortunately, this defines his approach to the republic. It’s also worth noting that the government is not taking any action to restrain or restrict the monarchists.

The day the monarchists held their rally in Kathmandu, we also held a rally that drew an estimated one hundred thousand people. What attracted all the attention was the violence engineered by the monarchists, who were allowed to demonstrate at Tinkune near the airport, while we were allotted Bhrikuti Mandap. The monarchists led by a businessman Durga Prasai—who Gyanendra calls the ‘commander’—broke through barricades and attacked media outlets.

There was arson, vandalism and looting which dominated the news while our peaceful protest went largely unnoticed. Two parallel campaigns are underway to take on the monarchists. One is the Terai-Madhesh Ulahi Janjagran Abhiyan— Ulahi being the longest highway in the terai.

The other movement against the rajavadis is the Jan Jagran Abhiyan. A socialist front has also come up to oppose the monarchy. PM Oli, our leader Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ and Nepali Congress leader Sher Bahadur Deuba have met. We are all united.

Yogi Adityanath, the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh. Everyone in Nepal knows that Gorakhnath Dham and Yogi Adityanath have had a long and cosy relationship with Nepal’s royalty. In Nepal, we joke that if Yogiji is so enamoured of the king of Nepal, he should call him to India and make him the king of India. Popular opinion is that Adityanath is orchestrating the MRM.

He believes Nepal should be a Hindu nation. He is opposed to our secular constitution and government. Nepalis believe Yogi and the RSS are investing their resources to fuel the monarchists. The rural campaign supporting rajavadis is also suspected of receiving funding from the Sangh.

Not at all. We do not think the Indian government is in favour of restoring monarchy in Nepal. It is Yogi Adityanath’s personal project. He supports the royalists and people who support the Hindutva cause.

Coincidence is more important than evidence. An objective analysis of the circumstances makes it clear that these people have the support of elements in India. It is largely at an individual level, with ideological sustenance provided by the Sangh here. People like General Ashok Mehta have also spoken on this.

Look, the truth is that monarchy cannot be restored in Nepal. Public memory is still fresh. Under the monarchy, protestors would have been killed or jailed. The Constitution now ensures freedom of speech and the freedom to protest. Rajavadis have been threatening to extend their cause beyond Kathmandu. We believe they don’t have the strength to do that.

Yes, that was a mistake. We began behaving like rulers and not revolutionaries. We did not learn anything from the Paris Commune. We became a part of the old power system.

We believe in equidistance from India and China, but our relationship with India is special. It is a roti–beti ka rishta which does not exist with China. Even members of Nepal’s royal family have blood relations with India. There are no restrictions on my movement here. I cannot possibly move about this freely in China. Chinese influence in Nepal is grossly exaggerated in the Indian media.

Democracies are endangered everywhere, in India and in the US, not just in Nepal. A key problem is the lack of internal democracy in political parties operating within a democratic framework.

Yes, it is true. It was decided at a meeting between PM Oli and PM Modi in 2018. I was part of the delegation from Nepal and I remember passing a slip of paper to PM Oli requesting he suggest a Ramayana circuit.

We communists may not believe in religion but we do not oppose people who have faith in Ram. Why should we? Our responsibility is to explain that blind faith is bad, using religion to promote politics or commerce is bad. Let me offer an example. When we hold rallies, we have to arrange for buses, food and drinks for the people attending them. But lakhs of ordinary people from Nepal travel to Ayodhya on their own because of their faith. The faith of the people cannot be crushed.

We expect India to support the democratic republic that we established after a long struggle and many sacrifices.

Earlier, there were only Hindus in Nepal. Now the Buddhists are the second largest group in Nepal and then there are Muslims from India who have settled in Nepal. In the last few decades, people have also converted to Christianity.

If we come to power, we will arrest the former king because of his anti-constitutional activities. In history, wherever monarchies came to an end, the kings were killed, forced to flee or jailed. In Nepal, we made arrangements to pay for the former king’s food, drink, allowances and security. We will put a stop to that.