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KATHMANDU: Unable to give the country a new prime minister even after seven rounds of election and facing growing criticism, Nepal's precariously aligned ruling parties are now grappling with an old fear – that of deposed King Gyanendra making a comeback.

Less than a fortnight after the opposition Maoists tried to disrupt the former king's religious programme in eastern Nepal and kicked up a row about his daughter-in-law Himani's public appearance in the north, the caretaker government of Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal stopped the last king of Nepal from attending a religious programme in the capital on Tuesday on the ground of security. Ironically, the restriction came even as Nepal was celebrating International Peace Day and the prime minister's official speech touted the measures taken by his government to take the peace process forward.

"His Majesty was to have been the chief guest at a programme today," an aide of the former king, who did not want to be named, told TNN. "It had no political connotations, being purely a religious programme. However, the government said he should not attend the programme. We are distressed because it is a violation of his rights as a citizen of Nepal."

The Yuva Vishwa Hindu Mahasangh, a pro-Hindu group, had organised a felicitation programme at Basantapur, the location of the old palace of the Shah kings, as well as the palace of the Kumari, Nepal's Living Goddess. A throne-like white chair had been kept at the centre of the dais by the organisers flanked by nine former Kumaris, whose ages ranged from 90 to 19 and who were worshipped as goddesses. The chair, intended for the deposed king, remained empty after the restriction. The loyal organisers however continued with the programme in the name of "the king of five principalities, king of kings", the old address for the Shah kings and placed Gyanendra Shah and former quuen Komal's photographs on the chair in protest. "We condemn the government's action," they said.

The home ministry said Gyanendra was asked to drop his plan due to security concerns. The Nepali Congress, the largest party in the ruling coalition, is holding its internal elections on Tuesday, the conclusion of its much-awaited 12th general convention. With a large number of security forces deployed at the election venue, the ministry said it would not be able to provide security to Gyanendra's entourage. "It's a lame excuse," the former king's aide said. "The government is apprehensive of the popularity of the king."

Four years after Nepal became secular, the Kumari still remains a pivotal point for the republic and the former royals. An ancient king, Jay Prakash Malla, was said to have lost his kingdom after he displeased the Kumari, the guardian deity of the royal family. Traditionally, the kings of Nepal worshipped the Kumari during the Indrajatra festival, held this time of the year to celebrate a good harvest. Even after Nepal's parliament abolished monarchy in 2008, the deposed king had turned up at the temple of the Kumari to worship her as a commoner.

Paras in Muktinath

Even as former king Gyanendra was prevented from attending a religious programme in Kathmandu, his son and former crown prince Paras flew to Mustang, a former Tibetan kingdom close to the Tibet border. The former playboy prince, who has begun attending temples with a vengeance, had gone on a private visit to the celebrated Muktinath temple, worshipped by Hindus, Buddhists and Jains alike, officials said.