Despite Tuesday’s appeal by the Kathmandu District Administration to the public not to organise gatherings, rallies and demonstrations, pro-monarchy, pro-Hindu campaigners marched on the Kathmandu streets on Saturday, demanding reinstatement of the monarchy and Nepal as a Hindu state and scrapping of federalism.

This is the second such rally in Nepal’s federal capital in a week.

[EDITORIAL: Spectres of monarchy]

Earlier on Monday, a similar rally was organised in Kathmandu. Pro-monarchy, pro-Hindu forces for the last one month or so have been carrying out such rallies in different parts of the country.

Saturday’s rally was held from Maitighar to Naya Baneshwor, near Nepal’s Parliament building from where political parties in 2008 had announced the abolition of the 24o-year-old monarchy.

A day after the the pro-monarchy, pro-Hindu forces organised their first rally in the capital, Kathmandu District Administration had issued a notice, calling on all not to hold gatherings, demonstration and rallies, saying such events could help spread the coronavirus as the number of cases has been rising in Kathmandu Valley.

Kathmandu Valley has recorded 432 new coronavirus infections in the past 24 hours, taking the total number of confirmed cases to 111,978. While Kathmandu has reported 397 Covid-19-related fatalities so far, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur have recorded 122 and 95 deaths respectively.

Kathmandu district alone has reported more than 90,000 cases.

Around three months ago, the government had decided to impose a ban on gatherings of more than 25 people and authorized the local administration offices to halt different services by assessing the situation in the respective districts.

“It was the duty of concerned district authorities to control the gatherings as Kathmandu Valley has almost half of the total cases across the country,” Chakra Bahadur Budha, spokesperson for the Home Ministry, had told the Post on Tuesday.

Observers told the Post earlier this week that such rallies are an expression of frustration towards both the government and the opposition, and should not be taken lightly.

Nepal transitioned into a federal democratic republic after the promulgation of the new constitution in 2015.

The 2017 elections gave a clear mandate to a communist alliance of then CPN-UML and the CPN (Maoist Centre), which after a merger gave birth to the Nepal Communist Party, which is currently governing the country.

When KP Sharma Oli became prime minister in February, 2018, he had the task of implementing the constitution, strengthening federalism and ensuring good governance.

However, the Oli administration has been mired in controversy, as it faces charges of failing to deliver, protecting the corrupt and weakening institutions.

The Oli administration is also accused of acting against constitutional provisions and posing a threat to democratic principles and norms.