MADRAS, India -- There is growing concern about the state of political affairs in Nepal, where a Maoist insurgency is festering. Earlier this month, incidents in the royal household affirmed that not all was well between King Gyanendra and his son, Crown Prince Paras. Paras has been a headache for Gyanendra ever since the latter took over as Nepal's constitutional monarch following the 2001 massacre of King Birendra and other family members.
Nepalese do not accept the official version of the blood bath. Soon after the tragedy, fingers were pointed at Gyanendra, Birendra's younger brother. Suspicions linger, eroding Gyanendra's popularity.
Gyanendra's political ambitions, his dissolution of Parliament in 2002 and his dismissal of the prime minister have not gone over well with the people. Nepalese suspect the king is attempting to strengthen his position by playing one political party against another. This has caused many Nepalese to reconsider the desirability of the monarchy.