President of the mainstream Nepali Congress and former Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala said Monday that it was the need of the hour for the Nepali Congress and the monarchy to move ahead hand in hand for the progress and prosperity of the nation, reports from Nepalgunj said.

Koirala was addressing a mass meeting of Nepali Congress workers in Dhangadi. He had earlier been criticized for presenting controversial views regarding monarchy.

Koirala in his regular exchange of charges with incumbent Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba had accused Deuba of remaining in power by making the King his shield.

“There are two institutions in Nepal that have very strong relations with the people. One is the Nepali Congress and the other is the Monarchy. If both the institutions move ahead by forging solidarity no force can ever displace them,” he said.

Koirala however did not make any comments about Prime Minister Deuba at the gathering of Congressmen from all the nine districts of the far western region. nepalnews.com am July 16