The Rastriya Prajatantra Party on Wednesday announced its campaign to reinstate Nepal as a Hindu kingdom, submitting a 40-point charter of demands to Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal.

The top leadership of the right-wing party submitted the paper announcing a series of mass gatherings and protests to pressure the government to implement its concerns mainly over the political system. Hundreds of cadres and supporters had rallied in various parts of Kathmandu before a group of senior party workers led by its chair Rajendra Lingden submitted their demands to the prime minister.

In addition to reinstating constitutional monarchy as a “guardian of the state”, the party has demanded scrapping the provincial structures and keeping only two tiers of government—central and local. The fifth-largest party in the House of Representatives claims that the three tiers of government are a burden to the nation. The party claims that a strong central government and an empowered local level are what the country needs.

Immediate control in religious conversion being done, what the party claims, by luring and deceiving the common people, directly elected executive head and a constitutional and legal cap of two terms in the executive positions are the other demands. The Lingden-led party has also forwarded a demand to investigate the properties of all the top leaders and bureaucrats since 1990, confiscate property, and take action against them if found guilty.

Right to franchise to those living abroad, strict adherence to non-aligned foreign policy and formulation of proper education policies are other demands. Controlling corruption, ensuring good governance, and expediting development have also found their place on the list.

Presenting the demand paper, Lingden said his party has already taken to the streets and will not rest until the demands are addressed. “The Rastriya Prajatantra Party will continue with peaceful demonstrations but if the government remains indifferent, it will opt for a strong revolution,” said Lingden.

Receiving the demand paper, Dahal said the party was free to hold peaceful demonstrations, enjoying the right guaranteed by the Constitution of Nepal drafted by the people's representatives.

“Several of your demands are directly linked to the people's day-to-day lives. The government is combining its efforts to ease the lives of common people,” said Dahal. He also remembered how Samyukta Janamorcha, an electoral front of his underground Maoist party, had launched an armed insurgency in February 1996 after the then Sher Bahadur Deuba government paid little attention to addressing their 40-point demand.

Exactly 28 years later, the right-wing party started the protests, submitting an equal number of demands. Now Dahal is in a position to implement them, similar to what Deuba was in 1996.

Mohan Shrestha, the party's publicity department chief, said it was a coincidence that they submitted the 40-point demands in February. “However, our party can take any extreme measure to get them implemented,” he said. Lingden has threatened to quit provincial assemblies and even the House of Representatives if its demands are not addressed.

The party has 14 lawmakers in the 275-strong House. The party also has representation in the provincial assemblies and holds the Speaker’s position in Bagmati and Koshi. The party took the Speaker position in Koshi after announcing its plan of a nationwide demonstration.

After long discussions, the party decided in December last year to commence nationwide protests to reinstate Nepal as a Hindu kingdom and scrap the provincial structures. It opted for protests under pressure from a faction led by General Secretary Dhawal Shumsher Rana. The party has formed a main committee led by Lingden and a mobilisation panel led by Rana to spearhead the protest.

“We will start district-level awareness gatherings until mid-March to take our demands to the households,” Shrestha told the Post. “The Kathmandu-centric mass demonstration will be held in the third week of March.”

The party is also working to collaborate with various groups with a common Hindu statehood agenda. Starting last year, controversial businessman Durga Prasai has been staging mass gatherings around the country including in Kathmandu, championing a cause similar to that of the party. The party leadership is in regular dialogue with Prasai.

Of late, a section of Nepali Congress leaders too has raised its voice for reinstating Nepal as a Hindu state.