The Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) and other groups are set to welcome former king Gyanendra Shah at the Tribhuvan International Airport premises.
The former king is scheduled to arrive in Kathmandu from Jhapa on February 13. The RPP and other groups have decided to welcome him upon his arrival at the airport that day.
RPP spokesperson Mohan Shrestha said that an event has been planned to welcome the former king in Kathmandu.
“The king belongs to everyone. To welcome the king, one does not need to be an RPP member or even a royalist. Those who love the country and are patriotic – people of any party, ideology, or even independents, let us all gather at Tribhuvan Airport on February 13,” he wrote in a Facebook post, calling on the public.
However, the RPP has not issued a press release or notice formally calling for the welcome of the former king.
“We have called on all patriots and nationalists to reach Tribhuvan Airport to welcome the king,” spokesperson Shrestha told Setopati. “The plan is to welcome the former king at the airport and escort him to Nirmal Niwas. There is no other program.”
RPP General Secretary Dhawal Shamsher Rana also posted on Facebook, urging “royalists and patriots to unite and reach the airport to welcome the king.”
He additionally urged people to “unite to reinstate the king for a third time.”
Senior Vice-chairman Rabindra Mishra posted on the social media platform X, writing, “Let us give the king a grand welcome at Kathmandu airport on February 13.”
“Even the old political parties have almost realized that the country needs the protection of the monarchy. This is a very positive sign. However, if RPP members and other pro-monarchy groups from around the Kathmandu Valley – and, if possible, from across the country – come to Kathmandu for just one day on February 13, the welcome would be historic,” Mishra wrote.
Durga Prasai, coordinator of the Rastra, Rastriyata, Dharma, Sanskriti Tatha Nagarik Bachau Maha Abhiyan, also posted on social media calling on people to be present at the airport.
“To save the nation, protect religion, and unite fragmented Nepali families living abroad, I sincerely call upon all patriotic Nepali brothers and sisters who love the country to be present at exactly 11 a.m. on February 13 at the domestic terminal of Tribhuvan International Airport and make the event grand, peaceful, and historic,” he wrote.
