Top three political leaders on Thursday agreed on the need for pro-republican and democratic forces to stand united against any attempts at making the republican system a failure.

In a meeting held at the Prime Minister’s residence in Baluwatar, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba and CPN (Maoist Centre) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal discussed an arrangement that’d be necessary to safeguard the republic and the constitution.

The meeting comes ahead of a protest planned by the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) on Sunday, demanding the reinstatement of the constitutional monarchy and the establishment of Nepal as a Hindu state.

Pro-monarchy forces organised under a committee led by Panchayat-era leader Nabaraj Subedi staged a protest in the last week of March. Journalist Suresh Rajak and a Kiritipur resident, Sabin Maharajan, lost their lives as the protest at Tinkune in Kathmandu turned violent.

They also resorted to arson, vandalism and looting at Tinkune and surrounding areas during the March 28 protest.

The RPP and other pro-monarchy forces have regrouped to demand the reinstatement of Hindu kingdom, which was abolished in 2008.

Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak and the prime minister’s adviser on human rights and transitional justice, Agni Kharel, were also present at the meeting, the prime minister’s secretariat said.

According to Kharel, the leaders were also briefed on the ongoing work of the recommendation committee tasked with selecting officials for the two transitional justice commissions.

The government earlier formed a recommendation committee led by former chief justice Om Prakash Mishra for recommending officials for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) and the Commission of Investigation on Enforced Disappeared Persons, which have remained without office bearers for a long time.

Leaders of the ruling parties as well as the main opposition, who often vent ire against each other, have of late shown a semblance of unity in favour of the federal democratic republic, particularly after the pro-monarchy forces revived their campaign of reinstating the king.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Home Affairs on Saturday warned the RPP against its planned protests in restricted areas of Kathmandu, saying legal action would be taken against those violating the law or disrupting public order.

The ministry said it was concerned over news reports and the party’s statement suggesting that the RPP plans to demonstrate in restricted zones as part of its protest on Sunday.

In a statement, the ministry said any activity that goes against the constitution or laws or spreads anarchy in society would not be tolerated. It urged all individuals to refrain from ‘anarchic, provocative, or illegal acts’.

The RPP’s Central Executive Committee meeting on Thursday decided to stage protests in the restricted zones to demand the release of party leaders and cadres who were arrested during a demonstration on March 28.

The government has designated areas surrounding the federal parliament building at New Baneshwar, among various other places in Kathmandu, as restricted zones. The RPP has not only planned to stage a show of strength at Bijulibazar, near the parliament building, but also announced to breach the restriction at Baneshwar.

The party has been organising a series of protests demanding the release of those arrested in connection with the Tinkune incident, including the party’s Vice-chair Rabindra Mishra and General Secretary Dhawal Shumsher Rana.

The party, which has been demanding the reinstatement of a constitutional monarchy and the establishment of Nepal as a Hindu state, staged a protest assembly at Balkhu as designated by the government on April 8.