Controversial medical entrepreneur and pro-royalist campaigner Durga Prasain has demanded a referendum against the republican system, which was established in 2008 by abolishing Hindu monarchy in the country.

In a meeting with Prime Minister Sushila Karki, Home Minister Om Prakash Aryal and senior government officials at the Prime Minister’s Office in Singha Durbar, Prasain demanded the referendum and sought the prime minister’s response on that by December 17.

“I said let's go for a referendum on issues including the restoration of the monarchy,” Prasain told reporters after the meeting. “The prime minister has said she will make a decision by December 17.”

Prasain asserted that if the demands are not met, the election cannot take place. “I have made it clear that if the demands are not met, there will be a public revolt and there will be no election in the country,” he said.

Prasain is the coordinator of the Rastra, Rashtriyata, Dharma, Sanskriti tatha Nagarik Bachau Mahabhiyan (Nation, Nationality, Religion, Culture, and Citizen Protection Mega Campaign) and has been staging protests in different parts of the country demanding the restoration of monarchy and a Hindu state.

He submitted a separate 27-point demand to Home Minister Aryal related to socio-economic issues. He has demanded abolishing the current constitution of Nepal and drafting a new one, implementing a system with a directly elected executive head instead of the President, and the restoration of the monarchy and a Hindu state.

At the beginning of the talks, Prasain had reportedly apologised to Prime Minister Karki for making derogatory remarks against her earlier.

During Monday’s talks, Prime Minister Karki told Prasain, “Please don’t just sit on the streets and say anything you want, and don’t insult people.”

“I am sorry for what I said earlier,” an official at the Prime Minister’s Secretariat quoted Prasain as saying at the meeting. “I apologise for that.”

During the discussion, Prasain had complained that none of the demands submitted by his group earlier had been implemented.

“Today, the prime minister and the home minister listened to our demands carefully,” Prasain said.

After going through their demands, the prime minister had told him that she would respond to them by December 17, according to Prasain.

“What I told them is—the mandate of the 2062–63 (2006) People’s Movement was not to adopt federalism or secularism,” Prasain said. “It was not to abolish the monarchy. How did that happen? So time has come to remove that knot. There will be no election, so do not expect one.”

Arguing that the current system is not appropriate and that it can not meet the people's aspirations, Prasain said he proposed a referendum to decide whether this system is good or not, “so that people can also create a system where their grandchildren can live well.”

“I have said we should go for a referendum on all these issues,” he said. “If they do not make the right decision, there will be no election.”

Advocates Binodmani Bhattarai and Lawan Nyaupane facilitated the meeting.

Prasain had also presented a statue of Goddess Bhagwati Durga to Karki as a souvenir and said, “I apologise for the things I said outside. I am sorry. You are like a mother, like Durga. Please work by embodying the form of Durga. We are with you. We will stand in support of this government. We will stand firmly like Mount Everest in support of this government.”

Clarifying his demands, Prasain also thanked the government for being willing to listen to them, according to a statement issued by the prime minister’s private secretariat. Prasain also praised Home Minister Aryal for creating an environment where the voices from the streets could be heard through peaceful dialogue.

“The previous governments did not want to listen to our demands. That is why untoward incidents occurred. At least this government was willing to listen to us. We were able to present our demands right at the prime minister’s table,” said Prasain, adding that if their demands were fulfilled no one would need to come to the streets.

Prime Minister Karki stated that the government was actively working towards ending corruption. She said that many of the demands raised by Prasain were also raised during the Gen Z movement, so addressing them was her responsibility. She, however, added that the issue of debt waiver must be evaluated carefully based on how the state could bear it.

It was agreed that discussions on the demands put forward by Prasain would continue in the coming days, said the statement.