At a time when lawmakers have strongly protested allocation of budget for royal palace, general secretary of Unified Marxist Leninist (UML) Madhav Kumar Nepal has said it is but natural for the government to do so.

Speaking at an interaction by Nepal Press Chautari in Damauli, Tanahun district, Nepal said, “The state has to allocate budget even to the prisoners in jails. So, it is natural to allocate budget for the palace.”

He added that since the Constituent Assembly (CA) elections will usher in republic, the current budget (for the palace) will only be valid till November.

Although the budget for coming fiscal year 2007/08 had not formally allocated budget for royal palace, Finance Minister Dr. Ram Sharan Mahat later revealed that the government has allocated Rs 125 million for the palace.