Nepal's Opposition party takes to street, reignites protest for Hindu Rashtra and monarchy

Nepal's Opposition party Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) on Friday staged an anti-government rally, demanding the restoration of constitutional monarchy and Hindu Rashtra status for the country. Supporters of RPP started the march from Bhrikutimandap, in Kathmandu and ended it at the Ratnapark open ground. This comes amid political turmoil in Nepal and the protesters also slammed KP Sharma Oli for dissolving the House of Representatives. Addressing the rally, RPP Chairpersons Kamal Thapa and Pashupati Shamsher Rana demanded Nepal be re-declared a Hindu state and constitutional monarchy be re-instated. In 2008, Nepal was declared a secular state after 2006 people's movement abolished monarchy. First General Election of 2017 held after promulgation charter gave a clear mandate to an alliance of the then CPN-UML and CPN (Maoist Center) incumbent NCP which is now in power. 

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Demand for Hindu Rashtra and Monarchy

Earlier in December, a pro-monarchy march was held in Kathmandu. According to news agency ANI, the participants of the march chanted slogans in favour of the Hindu Rashtra and demanded the reinstatement of constitutional monarchy in the Himalayan Nation which they claimed was for the sake of country's national unity and well-being of the people. Protestors on Saturday displayed placards bearing a photo of Prithivi Narayan Shah, the founding father of modern Nepal along with national flags while they chanted slogans against the Federal Democratic Republican System that Nepal adopted in 2008 after the abolition of the 240-year-old monarchy.

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"Today, participants are here without being driven by any impulsive feelings, as the movement led by youths has already set off. We can dream of our beautiful Nepal and this nation would obviously get back its monarch status of a Hindu-state. Until and unless we achieve our aim we would fight for it," Amir KC, one of the participants in the march who claimed to be leading over 250 youths from Lalitpur to the venue had told ANI.

Previously on November 19, another group held similar protest under the banner "Independent Nationalist Citizens Far-West" demonstrated in Dhangadhi followed by a protest in Pokhara on November 25 under the banner "Western Nepali Citizens" and "Nepal Nationalist Group" in Janakpur of Nepal. The ruling party has been unpopular lately because it is embroiled in infighting and corruption and has failed to control the COVID-19 pandemic.

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