An extended private visit of Nepal's ousted king Gyanendra has sparked speculation in Nepal, amid the political crisis that has stalled the peace process in the country.
Gyanendra is in New Delhi for over two weeks following a visit to Jaipur for a private function. Although his India visit was earlier scheduled for two weeks, his stay in India has been extended beyond one month, fueling speculation in Kathmandu.
The visit of the former monarch to India comes amid the stalled 2006 peace process.
Gyanendra's personal aide Sagar Timilsina told Kantipur daily that the ex-monarch has extended his stay in Delhi for personal work, without giving any details.
According to the daily, Gyanendra was seeking "political meetings" in Delhi.
Guna Raj Luitel of the Annapurna Post daily saw a link between the prolonged stay of Gyanendra in Delhi and the current political deadlock in Kathmandu.
The prolonged stay of Gyanendra in Delhi and the ongoing political deadlock in Nepal are not just coincidences, he told PTI.
Pointing to the daily hardship facing the people due to lack of essential items, such as cooking gas, petroleum products and 12 hour daily power cuts, he said: "It has only worsened the situation in which people have begun to lose faith in the democratic system."
Against this is the failure of the government to conclude the peace process, he said.
The paralysis has fuelled public anger in what is one of the world's poorest nations -- all a far cry from the euphoria and optimism that followed the end of the civil war and the abolition of the unpopular monarchy.
This is the third visit to India by Gyanendra after the monarchy was abolished in Nepal in May 2008.
