In the context of Nepal being declared a federal republic and the King all ready to vacate his palace, I would like to recall the much-hyped sound bite of erstwhile King Mahendra. Replying to the Indian envoy’s concern over the Kodari highway linking Kathmandu with the Tibetan border being built by China, the ex-King responded: “Communism does nor travel by road in a taxi”, indicating that there was no threat from China.

Nepal will shortly have a communist government led by CPN-Maoist, which has emerged as the single largest party in the CA, after the first communist government of CPN-UML in 1994. During the last six decades of monarchy, King Tribhuvan, who reigned for 43 years, was an actual ruler only for four years as the Rana Prime Minister’s rule continued till the signing of the tripartite agreement in New Delhi in 1951, which was necessitated by the armed revolution launched by the Nepali Congress (NC), thereby empowering him with the traditional royal powers. After his demise in 1955, his eldest son Mahendra took over and not only did he delay the implementation of his father’s commitment to hold a constituent assembly election to frame a constitution, but also changed several governments accusing them of failing to hold the election. Ultimately, political parties participated in a parliamentary election under a new constitution promulgated by Mahendra in Dec. 1960. He took over power once again, suspending the constitution after throwing the elected Prime Minister along with his colleagues behind the bars and dissolving the incumbent parliament.

In 1962, a new constitution was promulgated establishing a party-less Panchayat system. Significantly, the NC again resorted to armed movement against the regime. To counter the democratic forces, the King promoted communist forces by appointing their leaders as ministers, ambassadors and vice-chancellors. After negotiations with India, NC political activities inside India were curtailed. Coupled with pressures from the Indian government, top NC leaders BP Koirala and Ganeshman Singh returned to Nepal with the slogan of national reconciliation. On return, however, they were re-arrested and charged with sedition.

Meantime, a student rally against the hanging of Z. A. Bhutto in Pakistan took a violent turn culminating in a nationwide agitation, forcing the king to hold a referendum on the continuity of the party-less system within a year. Interestingly, the referendum held in 1980 approved the continuity of the system in which the communist leaders sided with the establishment.

After the people’s movement in 1990 launched jointly by the CPN-UML and the NC led by Ganeshman Sigh forced king Birendra to surrender all his powers to the people, the new constitution promulgated the same year reduced absolute monarch to a constitutional monarch. As per the new constitution, a general election was conducted in 1991 resulting in the formation of a new Nepali Congress government. However the King continued to appoint ambassadors without the recommendation of the PM, nominate members to the Upper House and not return to the parliament bills forwarded to him for approval. The last king Gyanendra went a step further by ordering a sitting MP of the Upper House to resign.

A mid-term poll was held in 1994 and a general election in 1999, paving the way for a new government. The king overrode the constitutional provisions by dismissing the elected PM, accusing him of being incompetent to conduct the election slated for November 2002. The Lower House was dissolved in May, 2002 due to internal feud in the NC regarding declaration of emergency to fight the growing insurgency. The king changed the PM several times till he assumed the chairmanship of the cabinet in January, 2005, himself.

In protest, seven political parties launched peaceful agitation, which remained largely ineffective. In view of the growing insurgency, several countries including the US, the UK and India suggested that the king have dialogue with the SPA. But the King preferred dialogue with the Maoists. Before the negotiation could take shape, the SPA entered into a 12-point agreement with the Maoists in India that paved the way for a peaceful movement. The April 2006 movement involved millions of people, forcing the king to surrender all his powers to the people on April 24, 2006. The dissolved parliament was restored, new government was formed, ceasefire declared and the Comprehensive Peace Accord was signed. Now, the elected CA has declared Nepal a republic.

The monarchy, it seems, always disliked the democratisation of the institution by failing to confine itself even within the bounds of the constitutions it helped prepare itself. It rather preferred to forgo everything, including the throne, rather than function as a purely constitutional monarchy of the 21st century.

Prof Mishra is ex-election commissioner