Kathmandu: In a statement that has been widely condemned by independent commentators across the country, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, who is the chair of ruling CPN-UML, the communist outfit that is leading the coalition government with Nepali Congress, on Sunday called on leaders and cadres of his party to come to the streets to confront and subdue the pro-monarchy rally scheduled for May 29. The political parties and individuals who are rallying for restoration of monarchy in the South Asian Himalayan Republic have scheduled a demonstration in the capital city on Wednesday.
The House of Representatives, reinstated by king Gyanendra in 2006, had voted to abolish monarchy in December, 2007. The first meeting of the Constituent Assembly in 2008 announced abolition of monarchy and declared Nepal a republic.
On Sunday, PM Oli, while speaking to local representatives of UML from Bagmati province, instructed them to stay prepared to confront the pro-monarchists. “You will get the directives later on but you need to prepare for May 29 from tomorrow itself,” Oli is heard to instruct his cadres in the video that has gone viral on social media. “On May 29, the capital city should be under total control of UML from 11 am to 2 pm,” he said. “The party [UML] will tell you what you need to do that day.”
Oli’s remarks are feared to raise the prospect of violence in the May 29 rally. The pro-monarchy leaders have condemned Oli’s remarks as an attempt to incite violence.
Nepal witnessed probably the largest pro-monarchy demonstration on March 28, which turned violent when police began to throw teargas canisters at the spot the pro-monarchists were going to hold an assembly.
The supporters of monarchy have been claiming that violence of March 28 was triggered by infiltration of cadres of ruling party and that they never supported violence.
Pro-monarchy political organizations have been holding rallies and demonstrations across the country for the past several months demanding restoration of monarchy and Hindu state and abolition of federal system.
Nepal’s major political parties, known in their public posture for their aversion to monarchy restoration, have been coinciding their pro-republic rallies and demonstrations on days of pro-monarchy protests.
On March 28, the day of the largest pro-monarchy demonstration, CPN (Maoist Center) and CPN (Unified Socialist), had held pro-republic demonstration inside the valley. Many have ascribed the security lapses to police having to be mobilized on two different venues at the same time.
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