Why Nepal Is Talking About A Return Of The King

An upsurge in pro-monarchy sentiments comes amid geopolitical manoeuvres in a country likened to 'a yam between the two boulders' of China and India.

- Ravi Velloor

How times change! A quarter century ago, then Prince Gyanendra Bikram Shah was the reviled younger brother of the popular monarch of Nepal, 10th king Birendra Bikram Shah Dev. His vast wealth and alleged greed were the subject of drawing-room chatter in Kathmandu, as was his son Paras' proneness to violence.

Then, things moved swiftly. King Birendra and his entire family were wiped out in a palace massacre in 2001 perpetrated by his love-sick son and heir, who then either turned the gun on himself or was killed by the king's bodyguards.

The crown and sceptre passed unexpectedly to Gyanendra, who would step down in 2008 as Nepal shed its monarchy and became a republic.

These days, former king Gyanendra is back in the spotlight. Many Nepalese yearn to see more of him. Some want him to rule the country, or at least be a constitutional monarch.

This May 29, a day after the anniversary of Nepal formally declaring itself a republic, ending the Shahs' 240-year rule, big demonstrations are anticipated in the former king's favour, according to Mr Yubaraj Ghimire, the globally respected Nepali journalist and analyst.

Pro-monarchy forces have declared an indefinite nationwide protest from that day, calling for the revival of the monarchy through a campaign of civil disobedience and mass mobilisation. The demands include a constitutional monarchy, and that Nepal be a Hindu kingdom that respects all faiths.

Nepal's youth, most of whom have little memory of what went on in the late 1990s and are disenchanted by the widespread graft perpetrated by a series of revolving-door democratic governments—there have been no fewer than 11 governments since 2008—are in the forefront.

In February, on the occasion of Democracy Day, Gyanendra made a speech circulated via social media that seemed to criticise the political mess in the nation and also implicitly suggested restoration of the country's monarchy.