Why Yogi Adityanath’s photo at pro-monarchist rally has angered Nepal

India and Nepal share a relationship that dates back years and years. In this time, the two countries have seen many ups and downs. However, a new controversy has erupted, which could lead to a deterioration of ties.

On Sunday, as former Nepal king Gyanendra Shah returned to the Himalayan kingdom, posters of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath appeared at the rally, inviting criticism from various political factions as well as from the general public on social media.

What’s going on? Here’s what we found out.

Nepal’s deposed King Gyanendra makes a comeback

On Sunday, thousands of Nepalese gathered in Kathmandu to welcome Nepal’s former King Gyanendra Shah , calling for the reinstatement of his abolished monarchy. “Vacate the royal palace for the king. Come back king, save the country. Long live our beloved king. We want monarchy,” slogans rang out loud in the air.

According to reports, over 10,000 supporters of Gyanendra Shah gathered near the main entrance to Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan International Airport as he arrived from a trip to western Nepal.

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Shah’s return comes after massive street protests in 2006 forced him to give up his rule. Two years later, in 2008, Nepal’s parliament voted to abolish the monarchy, transforming the country into a secular republic.

However, since then, the Himalayan kingdom has seen 13 governments , with many growing frustrated with the politics. Many Nepalese say it has failed to bring about political stability and blame it for a struggling economy and widespread corruption.

As Thir Bahadur Bhandari, a person present at Shah’s rally, told Associated Press, “We are here to give the king our full support and to rally behind him all the way to reinstating him on the royal throne.”

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Kulraj Shrestha, a 50-year-old who was present at Sunday’s rally also told AP, “The worst thing that is happening to the country is massive corruption and all politicians in power are not doing anything for the country. I was in the protests that took away monarchy hoping it would help the country, but I was mistaken and the nation has further plunged so I have changed my mind.”

Nepal’s former king Gyanendra has made no comments on the calls for the return of monarchy. But experts note that despite the growing support, he has slim chances of returning to power. Political analyst Lok Raj Baral told AFP that he did not see any possibility of the monarchy being restored because the institution had been “a source of instability”.

The Yogi Adityanath row

Amid the massive rally in support of Gyanendra, however, there was a surprising face — that of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. Some of the supporters of the former king were seen holding posters of the UP CM, sparking controversy.

In fact, one man who held up posters of Adityanath claimed that he landed himself in trouble with the Nepal police pursuing him. As per a New Indian Express report, he made his way to Gorakhpur, where he told the media that he feared being persecuted in his country. According to the man, identified as Pradeep Bikram Rana, cops started looking for his home after the rally. A chase began, he fled Kathmandu and crossed the border from the Raxaul side in Bihar and finally reached Gorakhpur by a passenger train, Rana added.

He told the media that he idolised the UP CM and saw him as a symbol of Hindu pride, saying this had prompted him to wave the Indian leader’s posters in Kathmandu.

However, not everyone sees it that way. Nepal Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli condemned the use of Adityanath’s photos, saying that the country should not be in a position where foreign images are needed to lead protests.

Oli’s supporters also stated that Adityanath’s poster was evidence of an “India hand” behind Gyanendra, raising questions over the credibility of the rally.

However, Gyanendra’s supporters refuted these claims, alleging that the display of the UP CM’s photo was a deliberate attempt to malign the pro-monarchist movement by the KP Oli-led government. They even accused the Oli government of orchestrating the move through infiltration.

Pro-monarchist Rastriya Prajatantra Party spokesperson Gyanendra Shahi even claimed in a social media post: “The photograph of Yogi Adityanath was displayed in the rally at the instruction of Bishnu Rimal, chief advisor of Prime Minister K P Oli, at the advice of Oli.”

Even Dipak Gyawali, a former minister and pro-monarchist was quoted by the Indian Express as saying, “We are not so weak as needing to use a foreigner’s photo in our procession.”

Adityanath’s old ties with Nepal’s monarchy

While Gyanendra’s supporters deny any involvement behind Adityanath’s photos at Sunday’s rally, the UP CM does share a strong relationship with Nepal’s deposed monarchy.

How?

Yogi Adityanath belongs to the Gorakhnath mutt, which enjoys a special connection to Nepal’s erstwhile royal family. In fact, Gorakhnath was the presiding deity of the Shah dynasty. Moreover, former King Gyanendra’s brother, Birendra, looked up to Mahant Avaidyanath, who was Adityanath’s mentor, as his guru. In 1992, King Birendra himself drove down from Kathmandu to the Gorakhpur Mutt.

Futhermore, it is believed that King Birendra decided on Nepal being a ‘Hindu state’ on the advice of Avaidyanath in 1990 when Nepal’s constitution was being amended.

And this relationship has continued through the years with the mutt being involved in relief operations following the 2015 earthquake . Yogi Adityanath, it is reported, oversaw the reconstruction work along the border areas.

Additionally, Adityanath has been critical of the Nepal government’s decision to declare the nation a secular state. He had demanded a rollback of the decision at the time.

With inputs from agencies