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Nepal king's guards halved after goddess row
8 Hour,56 minutes Ago
Kathmandu, Oct 2 (IANS) Already facing an election that could lead to the abolition of his crown, Nepal's King Gyanendra has received a fresh blow with a furious Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala accusing him of trying to challenge the government and slashing the number of his soldier guards as punishment.
The stars forsook the cornered king once again when his visit to a temple to perform a traditional ritual landed him in the centre of an angry row.
On Sunday, the king had visited the site of the traditional Hindu festival, Indrajatra, held in honour of the rain god, to receive the blessings of Kumari, Nepal's Living Goddess.
Traditionally, the Kumari is regarded as the protector of Nepal's dynasty of kings. The failure to be blessed by her is regarded as a bad omen that could lead to the defeat and banishment of the royal family.
In the past, attending the festival and receiving the goddess' blessings was a royal prerogative.
However, this year, ending a nearly 250-year-old tradition, the government gave the privilege to the prime minister, who has replaced the king as head of state.
Apparently due to the strong beliefs associated with the worship, King Gyanendra, who this year endured other curbs on his religious activities, made a low-key visit to the goddess' residence after Koirala had attended the official ceremony.
The royal visit triggered an outburst of anger from Koirala, who regarded it as a challenge to his authority.
The furious prime minister, who in the past had been a stout champion of the monarchy, reportedly had an angry conversation with the king's principal secretary, wanting to know why the monarch had attended the festival without informing the government.
Soon after the phone conversation, Koirala summoned the chief of the army, Gen Rookmangud Katuwal, reportedly accusing the army of also supporting the visit.
After Katuwal denied the army having any prior knowledge of the royal visit, Koirala ordered him to reduce the strength of the troops present in the royal palace by half.
Currently, about 3,000 soldiers of the Nepal Army are deployed in the Narayanhity palace for the protection of the king and Queen Komal.
Though in the past parliament had asked the government to slash their number, the Koirala government had failed to implement it.
The prime minister's order is, however, being viewed with scepticism by the Maoists who say it was an excuse to hold secret consultations with palace officials and the army chief.
In the past, parliament ordered a series of measures to curb the powers and privileges of the royal family, including nationalising the property King Gyanendra inherited from his ancestors and the land he owns in excess of the land ceiling act.
However, virtually none of the orders has been implemented.
Meanwhile, royalists have been protesting against the state clampdown on the king's religious activities, saying it was his right to attend religious festivals if he wanted to.
Sudeshna Sarkar
(Indo-Asian News Service)
