As opposition leaders were skeptical and engaged in consultation among themselves over the latest royal proclamation, preliminary reports say there have been protests against the royal address in which His Majesty King Gyanendra announced that he had given up executive powers which he had assumed more than a year ago.
Reports from around the country say pro-democracy demonstrators have protested the royal call to handover power terming it “Too little, too late.” There are reports of demonstration in eastern town of Biratnagar, Janakpur, Chitwan, Dhangadhi, Nepalgunj and Pokhara. In Butwal, demonstrators defied night -time curfew imposed by the local administration and chanted slogans terming the royal proclamation as a “ploy.”
In Kirtipur, Lalitpur and different parts of Kathmandu, opposition party activists took out torch-lit rallies denouncing the royal proclamation.
In his preliminary reaction, vice president of Nepali Congress—one of the major constituents of the seven party alliance, Sushil Koirala told BBC that the royal proclamation had not addressed even the minimum agenda of the on-going movement. “It has come rather as a conspiracy to divide the SPA,” he said. Koirala said the agitation will be taken to new heights.
Senior CPN (UML) leader, Amrit Bohara, said his party would comment on the proclamation only after a formal meeting.
In an interview with the BBC Nepali Service, spokesman of the CPN (Maoist), Krishna Bahadur Mahara, said the royal proclamation did not address the main objective of the on-going movement. He alleged that the royal proclamation was a conspiracy to continue to hold power by the king. “This agitation should not be stopped. The problem would not be resolved unless the demand for elections to the constituent assembly is addressed,” he added.
Meanwhile, India is the first foreign country to comment on the latest political developments in the neighbouring country. A foreign ministry spokesman in New Delhi said India welcomes the intention of the king to transfer all executive powers to the people and inviting the opposition alliance to form a government.
Talking to Nepalnews, advocate Tikaram Bhattarai said though the royal proclamation had not directly addressed the demands being raised by the SPA, it was likely to create an environment for dialogue. “By referring to article 35 of the constitution, the king has agreed to work as per the decision of the council of ministers which is a positive development,” he added.
Nepal crisis is likely to prolong for the next few days as the opposition parties have said their indefinite general strike will continue until further notice. Life across the country remains crippled for the last fortnight owing to the opposition strike. nepalnews.com by Apr 21 06