Nepal’s turmoil rekindles monarchy talk but a return looks unlikely

New Delhi, Sep 10 (IANS) The Prime Minister, President and scores of ministers have reigned in Nepal following the massive Gen Z uprising. Violence broke out leaving over 20 dead, the Parliament and the Supreme Court were set on fire. The question now is what is next in Nepal.

The fall of the K.P. Oli government is clearly a sign that democracy has once again failed in Nepal.

Since becoming a democracy in 2008, every government in power has been an unstable one. The country has seen 14 unstable coalition governments in the past 17 years thus signalling that there is something wrong with the system.

In the last 48 hours, questions have also been asked if the monarchy that once ruled Nepal will make its return.

The reason why this question is being asked is because just before the latest protests, a few months back the Rashtriya Prajatantra Party, along with proroyalists, Hindu nationalists, and anti-federalists held a massive demonstration demanding the return of the monarchy.

The protesters demanded the restoration of the monarchy. They also sought that the former king be reinstated as the head of the state.

The other demands included the revival of Hinduism as Nepal’s state religion. This was one of the major signals that the Oli government did not read.

He dismissed the protests and said that there was no chance of the monarchy returning. What he failed to read into was that the restoration of the monarchy was being sought because there was immense resentment with the government and people desperately wanted a change. They felt that the country was stable and better off when the monarchy was at the helm.

In 2008, the 240 year old rule of the Shah dynasty came to an end.