Mishra’s monarchy remarks put Prachanda on the hot seat

Kathmandu, September 25 — Following a controversial discussion between Maoist Centre Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal (Prachanda) and Rastriya Prajatantra Party Senior Vice Chairman Rabindra Mishra, Prachanda's secretariat issued a denial on Wednesday. Mishra had claimed on social media that Prachanda made positive remarks about the monarchy during their meeting on Tuesday, releasing a seven-point statement.

Mishra quoted Prachanda as saying, "During my last term as Prime Minister, I reviewed all the details of Nepal's industries, and it turns out many good things were done during the Panchayat era. King Mahendra was indeed a visionary king." He added, "Some of my friends were completely negative about the monarchy during the conflict. I was in favor of cooperating with the king if it would benefit the country."

Former Prime Minister and Chairman of the Nepal Samajwadi Party Dr. Baburam Bhattarai criticized Prachanda’s remarks. He stated, "The truth of the intimate conversation between Prachanda and Rabindra Mishra is known only to them. However, everyone aware of the intense internal conflict within the Maoist movement knows that this is just a facade! Because that is the reality of Prachanda."

As the controversy surrounding Prachanda’s comments on the monarchy escalated, his personal secretary Ramesh Malla claimed there was no truth to Mishra’s remarks, describing them as a fabrication.

Malla stated, “During yesterday morning's meeting in Khumaltar, Rabindra Mishra shared his thoughts, which he later presented on Facebook as the views of the former Prime Minister and revered Chairman. He led the great sacrifice movement to establish a federal democratic republic in the country. He has led the peace process and constitution drafting and is currently leading the mission for good governance, social justice, and prosperity to take the country towards socialism. Presenting his views as Mishra's fabricated topics is not a political culture.” Malla also accused Mishra of engaging in apolitical propaganda.

After the secretariat's denial, Mishra stated on Facebook that it was his duty to publish the comments as they were. However, he added further commentary, saying, "When meeting with senior leaders, I never disclose what has been said as 'let's keep this between us.' I followed that same policy during our conversation yesterday." He indicated that while Prachanda did speak positively about the monarchy, he did not mention that the subject should be kept confidential.

Nevertheless, Mishra asserted that Prachanda is the hero of the federal democratic republic, stating, “The Congress, UML, and civil society are merely supporting characters. They are all followers of Prachanda. The Constitution of Nepal is essentially Prachanda’s constitution, and I am clear that this constitution would never have been written through the Constituent Assembly without Prachanda.”