NEW DELHI: The restoration of Nepal’s monarchy will only lead to political instability and will not be in the interest of both Kathmandu and New Delhi, former Nepalese prime minister Baburam Bhattarai said on Monday.
Bhattarai, who played a key role in Nepal’s transformation from a monarchy to a republic in 2008 as a leader of the Maoist movement, pointed out that his country’s monarchy was always autocratic and never constitutional. He argued that pro-monarchy protests being witnessed in Nepal were triggered more by the current government’s failure to deliver on people’s expectations.
“How will the restoration of an autocratic monarchy in Nepal benefit India? It will only lead to instability. There is no [widespread] public support for restoring the monarchy,” Bhattarai said during an interaction at the Press Club of India.
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He pointed out that millions of people mobilised to overthrow the monarchy in the 1990s, whereas only about 20,000 people had participated in recent protests aimed at restoring former king Gyanendra Shah.
{{/usCountry}}He pointed out that millions of people mobilised to overthrow the monarchy in the 1990s, whereas only about 20,000 people had participated in recent protests aimed at restoring former king Gyanendra Shah.
{{/usCountry}}“What is dead cannot be resurrected. We will move forward,” said Bhattarai, who served as prime minister during 2011-2013 and currently heads the Nepal Socialist Party. He described the political crisis precipitated by the pro-monarchy protests as an opportunity to “take society forward”.
Overthrowing the monarchy led to a “democratic revolution” in Nepal, which will remain a secular, democratic republic. “Going back from democracy is not the solution. Deficiencies in the Constitution can be addressed,” he said.
Parts of Nepal, including the capital of Kathmandu, were rocked by pro-monarchy protests in March that left two people dead and dozens injured. Supporters of deposed king Gyanendra Shah have demanded the restoration of the monarchy and Nepal’s status as a Hindu state. Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has expressed concern about a possible Indian role in these protests.
Bhattarai declined to comment on reports that the Indian side was linked to the protests and only said the return of Nepal’s monarchy would be “non-productive”. He also dismissed speculation that Nepal is moving closer to China by pointing out that Kathmandu is heavily dependent on New Delhi for trade and transit.
“According to the latest figures, 67% of our trade is with India and only 14% is with China. People suspect there is a China card, but we have never used China as a card against India,” he said. “No Nepalese leader will be so foolish as to use this as a card.”
Bhattarai, who met defence minister Rajnath Singh and leaders of the ruling BJP and opposition Congress in New Delhi, acknowledged a “sense of concern” in India about developments in Nepal, especially the “constant political instability”. He described this instability as a “product of the unfinished revolution” and said his party has proposed a “directly elected presidential system and fully proportional but directly elected Parliament” to ensure stability with checks and balances.
At the same time, he said it would be very difficult for Nepal to prosper without good relations with India, especially on economic issues. He suggested that the prime ministers of the two countries should meet and resolve issues “left behind by history”, including a boundary dispute.