New Delhi: When Nepal's Parliament gets over with its deliberations, King Gyanendra may be entitled to little more than his name.
The Parliament is expected to strip the King of his vast powers and confine him to a purely ceremonial role.
His privileges and immunities will be curtailed and he will have to pay taxes like a common citizen. His royal perquisites and finances so long a matter of right will also be reduced and subject to Parliamentary oversight.
His elite 5,000-man palace guard will be moved out along with his military attache as his security will now rest with the Cabinet.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister G P Koirala has promised more. There could be action against sections of the Army brass for their role in trying to suppress the pro-democracy movement.
Clearly, the stage is being set for a range of other political initiatives. A committee is being set up to begin a dialogue with the Maoists.
In response, Maoist leader Prachanda ordered jailed Maoists to end their two-day-old hunger strike at Nakku prison, Kathmandu. The Maoists are expected to mount pressure to ensure the release of other cadres also.
“There are around 600 Maoists lodged in jails in Nepal. There are about 18 in this prison. These people are demanding that all the false cases should be dismissed,” Jailer of Rupendehi Jail, Yadav Raj Pandey said.
However, there could also be a fight back by entrenched royalist supporters. The delay in Cabinet expansion suggests that the unity of the Seven Party Alliance is fragile and could break at any moment.
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