They were the public face of the 15-month-old royal regime. They had long term plans to entrench the regime and continue to run the show under the royal patronage. But thanks to the ‘jana andolan’ 2006, former Home Minister Kamal Thapa, former Foreign Minister Ramesh Nath Pandey, former Local Development Minister Tanka Dhakal, former minister of state for Information and Communications Shris Shumsher Rana and former assistant minister Nikshya Shumsher Rana had their dreams shattered.
From left to right :Former Home Minister Kamal Thapa, Foreign Minister Ramesh Nath Pandey, Local Development Tanka Dhakal, Information and Communications State Minister Shrish Shumsher Rana and Assistant Minister for Health Nikshya Shumsher Rana (File photo)
Fate of the key functionaries of the royal government was sealed as soon as the new government announced the formation of a high-level, powerful judicial commission to probe into atrocities committed by the members of the royal regime to suppress the people’s movement. In its first meeting held at its newly installed office at Harihar Bhavan in Lalitpur on Friday, the Commission asked the government to take into control the members of the erstwhile royal cabinet for their role in suppressing the ‘people’s movement’ and suspend chiefs of all security agencies “to avoid loss or damage to evidence” that would be crucial in the course of the investigation.
The Commission, led by former Justice at the Supreme Court Krishna Jung Rayamajhi, summoned newly appointed Home Minister Krishna Sitaula at its office and handed him over their crucial decisions. Within hours, the emergency meeting of the seven-member council of ministers was in progress and the government issued orders to detain five key members of the former royal government and suspend nine senior security officials including chiefs of three security agencies.
The former ministers have been issued 90-day detention orders under the ‘Public Security Act 2047 B. S.’ and the government has accused them of “conspiring against people’s sovereignty and the outcome of people’s movement 2006.” Former Ministers Thapa, Dhakal and Shrish Shumsher Rana are being kept at the Police Training Academy at Maharajgunj where former premier Sher Bahadur Deuba spent nearly nine months during the royal regime. Former Minister Pandey and junior minister Rana have been kept at the Pahara Barrack, Tripureswore, where former minister and Nepali Congress (Democratic) leader, Prakash Man Singh, was detained.
The controversial Royal Commission on Corruption Control (RCCC) had detained former premier Deuba and Shrestha on charge of indulging in corruption while awarding contract of the multi-million dollar Melamchi Water Supply Project. Both of them denied any wrongdoings. The Supreme Court later scrapped the Commission terming it as an ‘unconstitutional body.’
The newly installed government was under tremendous pressure from within the Seven Party Alliance (SPA) and general public to take action against those responsible for suppressing the people’s movement. At least 21 people lost their lives and over 5,000 pro-democracy activists were injured during the pro-democracy demonstrations. Perhaps, top on the list for being responsible to suppress the movement is then Home Minister Kamal Thapa. Thapa started his political career in the eighties as the first elected president of the student body, Rastrabadi Bidyarthi Mandal– that supported the then partyless Panchayat regime. He served as the minister of state for Information and Communications in the Panchayat government that suppressed people’s movement of 1990. The Mallik Commission, that was formed after the movement, had recommended action against Thapa, among others, but he got scot free as the then interim government led by K P Bhattarai refused to implement the report.
Another advocate of direct rule of the king, Tanka Dhakal was appointed government’s spokesman as soon as King Gyanendra seized power in February 2005. His job was to defend the royal move and is known for introducing the controversial media ordinance aimed at controlling the independent media. He was later transferred to the local development ministry when the royal government decided to hold controversial municipal polls boycotted by major political parties.
A journalist-turned-politician, minister of state for Information and Communications Shris Shumsher Rana is also known as hard-liner within the royal regime. As people’s movement 2006 progressed at the call of the Seven Party’s Alliance (SPA), Rana was easily accessible to foreign media and tried his best to defend the regime and blame the SPA. He is also known for claiming that Nepali media enjoyed ‘absolute freedom’ in the country.
Assistant Minister Nikhsya Shumsher Rana was known for organizing small rallies in Kathmandu during the multi-party governments calling upon the king to take over. Chairman of Rastriya Ekata Parishad, a royalist outfit, Rana was awarded for his loyalty as the junior minister in the royal cabinet.
Perhaps sensing the changing mood of the nation, the high-profile Foreign Minister of the royal government Ramesh Nath Pandey kept himself ‘low profile’ throughout ‘jana andolan.’ He, however, was busy hosting cocktail parties for Kathmandu-based diplomats at his residence where delicacies from five-star hotels were served. Reports say Shital Niwas reimbursed over a million rupees for his extravaganza. Blamed for ‘distorting’ country’s independent and neutral foreign policy, Foreign Ministry under Pandey summoned ambassadors of India. UK and USA repeatedly at Shital Niwas and sought clarifications from them for their remarks that made the royal regime uncomfortable.
In an interview with Nepalnews early this year, Pandey said incumbent foreign ministers usually did not publish their memoirs while in office and that he wanted to be an exception. As things have turned now, it seems his wishes might remain unfulfilled.