December 31, 2005

KATHMANDU:  Speaker of the House of Representative, Tara Nath Ranabhat, has said the King should hand over power to the political parties if he wishes to rise above controversies.

“The King should backtrack from his active rule. He should hand over the power to the political parties if he wants to avoid discredit for the deteriorating political situation in the country,” Ranbhat said speaking at a program organized by the Reporters’ Club in Kathmandu Friday. “By doing so, he can keep himself away from controversies,” he added.

He predicted that the two-year long rule “put in place with the power of guns” was going to end very soon. “The constitution of the Kingdom does not recognise the present government. The two-year rule will soon see its final days,” the speaker declared, stressing on need for reconciliation between King and the parties.

Saying that the recent 12-point agreement between the Maoists has given hopes for peace, Ranabhat maintained that the management of arms possessed by the Maoists would, however, prove to be the trickiest aspect of peace process.

Speaking at the same program, Nepali Congress leader Dr Ram Saran Mahat said that despite the agreement between the Maoists and the seven-party alliance, the latter was not ready to the support violence. “Parties will not involve in violent movement,” he said.

CPN (UML) spokesperson Pradeep Nepal said the functionaries of the government were giving public statements in such a manner which invites more confrontation. “If the Maoists break the ceasefire, the parties will not be responsible for it.”