Kathmandu, May 2
Former king Gyanendra Shah has suddenly gone ‘underground’. The ‘vanishing act’ comes two days after the former king returned home after his formal visit to India. On Monday, the royal was neither at his residence in Nirmal Nivas nor at another residence — Nagarjun Bugalow.
And he was not in Pokhra. So, where has the ex-king gone after returning from New Delhi?
On Sunday, there was a huge crowd outside his gate at Nirmal Nivas. Some people had come from Madhesh in a reserved bus to meet him in the name of a patriotic association named Nepal Rastravaad Sangh. They said they had come all the way to Kathmandu to meet the former king seeking the restoration of the monarchy in Nepal.
But security personnel and aides to the former king stationed at Sital Niwas informed that the latter was not in Nirmal Nivas, and made the crowd return somehow. The guards and the aides called these people to visit the Nivas by fixing an appointment with the king beforehand through the phone. Some of these people are still in Kathmandu, frequenting Nirmal Nivas for an audience with the former king.
According to a source, the former king has headed for Mugling after his return from Delhi. Another source said the former king has headed for Nuwakot. He will return to the Capital on Monday evening, this source told Onlinekhabar.
The ex-king had left for New Delhi on Thursday, responding to an invite from senior leaders of the ruling Bharatiya Janta Party, including Rajnath Singh. He was supposed to return to Kathmandu on Friday. Due to a delay, the ex-royal, who was to board a Nepal Airlines flight scheduled to leave Delhi for Kathmandu at 9 am on Friday, caught the flight that left at 1 pm the same day, according to the source.
It’s still unclear as to why India invited the former king, who has been critical of Nepal’s constitution and the conduct of Nepal’s political leaders. India had also invited Prachanda, chair of the ruling UCPN-Maoist party, but he turned down the invite, fearing criticism from nationalists.
New Delhi has been trying to pile pressure on the KP Oli government by prompting Madheshi and Janajati forces to launch a joint movement, sources said, adding: Delhi also wants to use the ‘Gyanendra card’ to bolster the anti-government movement.
