The new government snapped the formal links between the royal palace and Lord Pashupatinath, an incarnation of the deity.
KATHMANDU: As Nepal began celebrating the festival of the god Shiva with the advent of the month of Shravan, the new government snapped the formal links between the royal palace and Lord Pashupatinath, an incarnation of the deity.
After scrapping King Gyanendra's legislative, judicial and military powers, the seven-party ruling alliance has now axed the monarch's religious clout as well.
The king has been dropped as the patron of the temple, with the position going to the prime minister. Also, instead of the queen, the culture, information and tourism minister would chair the temple trust.
Led by Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala, the council of ministers held three rounds of meetings from Sunday to Monday, deciding to annul 16 laws and amend 23 more, mostly related to royal privileges. However, after allegations that the palace was siphoning off the money collected in the temple from devotees through its appointed officials, the government moved in to make the trust accountable.
A parliamentary committee has begun a probe into the temple earnings and the government is mulling bringing the sum under the tax net. The ministerial meeting has decided the money would now be spent on social and charitable work.
Besides losing his grip on the celebrated shrine, the king also loses his position as chancellor of Tribhuvan University, Nepal's oldest and best known varsity named after his grandfather.
The prime minister may become chancellor now.
The government also decided to make several key appointments in state-run entities where the top posts fell vacant after King Gyanendra's direct reign ended in April. The officials appointed by the king either resigned or were removed by the new government.
The new appointments include the executive chairperson of the ailing national carrier Nepal Airlines Corporation, executive director of the loss-making Nepal Oil Corporation and executive director of Nepal Electricity Authority.
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