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Diehard royalists want grand birthday for crown prince

By Sudeshna Sarkar, IANS

Kathmandu : Ignoring the move to abolish the country’s two-century-old monarchy and turn the Himalayan kingdom into a federal republic, diehard royalists have sworn to celebrate the crown prince’s birthday with pomp, even if it means a confrontation with the Maoist guerrillas.

The year 2007 could easily be the annus horribilis for Nepal’s Crown Prince Paras who faced major trouble, including the possible loss of his inheritance and a severe health scare.

In October, the Maoists started a battle in parliament seeking the immediate scrapping of the crown.

After withstanding the demand for almost two months, Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala finally capitulated and on Christmas Eve, the government tabled a proposal in parliament to amend the constitution and remove any reference to monarchy or King Gyanendra.

The government has also made a new law to take over the property, palaces and other assets King Gyanendra inherited from his slain brother Birendra.

Besides the loss of esteem, power and riches, the 35-year-old crown prince also suffered a major heart attack this year, resulting in doctors warning him to change his lifestyle.

The 36th birthday of the former heir to Nepal’s throne falls on Dec 30, less than a week after Law, Justice And Parliamentary Affairs Minister Narendra Bikram Nembang tabled the critical amendment proposal that will change Nepal from a monarchy to a republic.

However, royalists have sworn to celebrate the birthday with a public rally in the capital.

A 1,001-member committee has been formed to organise the celebrations.

In the past, such celebrations included holding sports tourneys, since the crown prince is a lover of football and golf, and once the showering of petals from a helicopter in the capital.

Govind Prasad Sharma, who heads the committee, and other members have issued a statement on the eve of the birthday, condemning the move by the ruling parties to oust the king without holding an election.

The committee also said it would lead a rally to the royal palace gate. If the Maoists tried to stop that it would retaliate.

The king’s birthday this year was marred by first diplomats and ministers boycotting the black tie dinner Queen Komal had hosted, and then, the Young Communist League, the dreaded youth wing of the Maoists, warning it would disrupt public rallies.

While there has been no reaction from the palace so far to the government’s bid Monday to amend the constitution, a former royalist minister defended the 238-year institution of the Hindu king, saying Nepal would not survive without monarchy.

“There is nothing wrong (in the old constitution decree that) the king of Nepal must be a Hindu by birth,” former home minister Kamal Thapa wrote to a local daily.

“If the British monarch has to be a Catholic, why can’t Nepal, a predominantly Hindu society, have a Hindu king?”

Thapa says that he however is not advocating a Hindu state in Nepal.

“It can be secular if Nepalis wish it to be that way.”