Nepal`s
`God-King` wakes up to life as commoner
Kathmandu,
June 12: Nepal`s former King Gyanendra has begun life as a
commoner after leaving his sprawling palace home and army
of servants for the last time. He will have to adjust to living
in a former hunting lodge on the outskirts of the capital,
after leaving the Narayanhiti palace in the back of a black
Mercedes with his wife late Wednesday.
Several
hundred people gathered to watch the King`s departure from
the massive complex in the heart of Kathmandu, with most cheering
the end of the monarchy, while a handful of royalists wept.
In
his first comments since his 240-year-old dynasty was formally
abolished late last month by a Maoist-dominated assembly,
the ex-monarch said he respected the decision to turn Nepal
into a republic.
"I
have assisted in and respected the verdict of the people,"
he said in a short address in a hall decorated with stuffed
tigers and rhino heads, adding that he "will not leave
this country" and go into exile.
Narayan
Wagle, the editor of the Kantipur Nepali language daily, who
watched the address said it was a "graceful" end
to the world`s last Hindu monarchy.
"He
has exited gracefully and peacefully and his message focused
on garnering sympathy from Nepali people in the future,"
said Wagle.
During
the address, Gyanendra hit back at charges he was behind the
palace massacre that vaulted him to the throne in 2001.
He
became king when his nephew Dipendra, the then crown prince,
killed most of his family, including the king and queen, in
a drink and drug-fuelled rage after being prevented from marrying
the woman he loved.
He
then apparently shot himself and was briefly declared king
while brain dead before Gyanendra became monarch.
"My
family and I have been continuously defamed with ill intentions
which was saddening and still is. The accusations targeted
against us were inhuman," he said.
Many
in the country believed he plotted the palace killings, even
though an official probe cleared him.
The former king was laying down a challenge for the government
to reinvestigate the palace massacre, Yubaraj Ghimire, editor
of Nepal weekly news magazine, said.
"The
way he expressed his opinions and presented the facts it is
a challenge to the government to prove him wrong," Ghimire
said.
The
decision to abolish Nepal`s monarchy was taken by a constitutional
assembly formed as part of a peace deal between former Maoist
rebels and mainstream parties who joined forces when Gyanendra
tried to assume dictatorial powers.
He
ended his period of authoritarian rule in April 2006 after
massive protests organised by the parties and the Maoists.
The
end of his reign and departure from the palace is the culmination
of a peace deal signed in late 2006 between the groups, which
ended the bloody insurgency that had killed at least 13,000
people.
Bureau
Report
www.zeenews.com
Prabuddha
Bharata>>>
Vedanta
Kesari>>>
Vedanta
Mass Media>>>
|