Former prime minister and only living founding leader of the Nepali Congress, Krishna Prasad Bhattarai, has asked the parties not to abolish the institution of monarchy in haste.

In a statement issued on Monday, Bhattarai said abolition of monarchy could plunge the country further into grave crisis.

“The institution of monarchy can still play a role to unify nation’s culture and civilisation and protect national integrity and ethnic and geographical diversity of the nation,” said Bhattarai.

The statement further said, “Since no party has an absolute majority in the Constituent Assembly, only politics of consensus can bail the country out of the current crisis and that failure to work on consensus would endanger the existence of the nation.”

Similarly, home minister of the royal cabinet and chairman of the Rastriya Prajatantra Party-Nepal Kamal Thapa asked the parties not to abolish the monarchy until a new constitution is promulgated.

Speaking at a function on Monday, Thapa claimed the CA should not take a decision to abolish monarchy in haste which can then invite political disaster.

Thapa, who met the king recently, said he found him confident and not desperate. nepalnews.com ia May 13 08