Monarch Trying To Escape Law; Loan Defaulters Leading Protests: Former Nepalese PM | Exclusive

Last Updated:March 28, 2025, 21:26 IST

The protests are anarchist acts with goons coming onto the streets, said Madhav Kumar Nepal, adding that they should be arrested and punished

Madhav Kumar Nepal served as prime minister from May 25, 2009 to February 6, 2011. File pic/X

Former Nepalese Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal told CNN-News18 in an exclusive interaction on Friday that nobody is in favour of the restoration of the monarchy in the country that has been hit by a slew of protests.

“The Nepalese monarch is trying to come back to save himself from cases and embarrassment," he said.

A specially elected assembly scrapped the 239-year-old monarchy in 2008 under an accord that ended a Maoist insurgency that had killed 17,000 people in 1996-2006 and turned Nepal into a secular, federal republic from a Hindu kingdom.

The last king of the Himalayan nation, 77-year-old Gyanendra, has lived with his family in a private house in Kathmandu as a commoner since being unseated.

The protest movement in Nepal is led by many key players, including the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP), a royalist political party with Kamal Thapa as its leader, and Durga Prasad, who heads the Citizens’ Campaign.

These groups earlier organised large-scale protests, such as the November 2023 rally in Kathmandu, demanding the monarchy’s restoration.

The Nepalese monarch’s name has also been linked to the royal family massacre case.

“The government wants to take action to embarrass him, and to save himself, he joined hands with loan evaders and other groups who want a monarchy for their gains," Madhav Kumar told CNN-News18. “His one supporter is Durga Prasad, who is the owner of BMC Medical College and a loan defaulter. Another supporter is Ravi of the Rastriya Swatantra Party, who was sent to jail by other political parties."

Durga Prasad has to pay 12 billion Nepalese rupees to the Central Bank of Nepal, he said.

“After pressure, he gave money to a hitman to kill the Governor of the Central Bank of Nepal, Maha Prasad Adhikari. Adhikari and the Nepalese government want to recover this money from Durga Prasad before March 31, before Adhikari retires," said Madhav Kumar. “Now, Durga Prasad has prepared a group of people who have taken loans and want to be defaulters. These defaulters, Durga Prasad, and the monarch are together to save themselves from different cases. These people are basically Maoists and are from Prachanda’s group."

The protests are anarchist acts with goons coming onto the streets, he said, adding that they should be arrested and punished.

“These are not large numbers; only a few thousand people are there, and false numbers are being given. The masses are not with them, and the people of Nepal want democracy. We have nothing to say on the monarchy’s revival," he said. “These are loan defaulters and unpopular, and we can’t go back to feudalism. No one should support them. On this agenda, all political parties are together, and we will fight together."

A show of strength played out between pro-monarchy and pro-democracy groups, mainly from Madhav Nepal’s side.

The groups protesting on Friday also attacked a media house in Kathmandu.

News world Monarch Trying To Escape Law; Loan Defaulters Leading Protests: Former Nepalese PM | Exclusive