King Gyanendra Monday afternoon granted audience to former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, whose elected government the King sacked on October 4, 2002. Parties call the incident a “regressive” move of the King.
“His Majesty the King granted audience to me for 35-40 minutes today,” Kantipur FM quoted the former PM, as saying.
Asked whether he received any “signals” from the King about forming a new government, Deuba said, “Nothing like this was discussed. Most of the time we discussed the present situation of the country.”
Shedding light over the meeting, Deuba said the King received him in audience “in course of granting audience to other political leaders.”
“The King is concerned about the problems the nation is facing now,” he said. “The King wants all parties to be united, elections be held and peace be restored,” Deuba, who is also the President of Nepali Congress (Democratic), said.
Deuba is second to receive King’s audience after the King granted audience to UML General Secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal last week.
President of Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP), Pashupati Shumsher Rana is also receiving a royal audience Monday evening, the radio said, quoting sources.
Earlier in the morning, acting Prime Minister Dr. Prakash Chandra Lohani also received the King’s audience, but it was a regular one, the radio said.