Former Prime Minister and president of Nepali Congress, Girija Prasad Koirala, has said prospect of dialogue with the king has not been not exhausted yet.

In an interview with the BBC Nepali Service on Sunday, Koirala said prospect of dialogue would never be exhausted. “But the initiative must come from the king,” he added.

“This movement aims at returning people’s power back to them.. That is the bottomline,” he declared.

Koirala claimed that most of the actions of the king had failed and that there was a huge gap between the king and the Nepali people.

Koirala, who is the seniormost leader of the Seven Party Alliance (SPA)—that is launching nationwide agitation against the 14-month-old direct rule of the king—refuted allegations that the alliance was collaborating with the CPN (Maoist) whom they had declared ‘terrorists’ while in power. “It is the duty of a democratic force to bring the non-democratic force into the democratic constitutional framework. That’s what we are doing.”

Saying that international community, too, said that there was no military solution to the problem of insurgency and that there was a political solution only, “then when we are trying for a political solution, why is there such a hue and cry?” asked Koirala.

Responding to a query, Mr. Koirala said he was of the view that the continuity of the history should not be broken. “If that happens, it will give rise to a cycle of destabilisation,” said Koirala. “What we want is to activate the present constitution, reinstate parliament, form an all-party government, hold dialogue with the rebels and move all the way to the constituent assembly. If we break the continuity of the history, the identity of democracy will also finish off,” he added.

Koirala further said as soon as the parliament is reinstated, the king will also be part of it. “Then we will have a permanent solution. The problem (we are in today) can’t be resolved in a piecemeal basis,” he added.

The octogenarian leader said he had the conviction that the Maoists would join mainstream. “This is my attempt. The country would not fail even if I, an individual, fail. But if we succeed, it will set an example that the problem (of armed rebellion) could be resolved through dialogue,” he added.

Responding to a query by Sushil Sharma of the BBC, Koirala said if the king created a conducive environment for talks and wanted to move in a new way, a solution could be found.

“The condition (for talks) is that he must return to the previous situation (pre-October 2002). Then the talks could be held and the king could also be safe,” he added. When asked if he had some channel of communication open with the king, the veteran politician said it’s been sixteen months that he hadn’t met the king. “ I don’t have any informal channel of communication (with the palace),” he added.

Koirala said the nationwide agitation being launched by the SPA was also an attempt for reconciliation among the king, democratic forces and the Maoists. This agitation is going on under the framework of four basic principles, namely the end of autocracy, peace, framework of democracy and independent, sovereign and prosperous Nepal. “This movement is moving ahead based on these principles and I am holding dialogue with the international community as well as the Maoists based on these very principles,” he added.

In response to another question, Koirala clarified that his party had not gone for a republic as yet. “We are for a ceremonial king,” he said. He, however, alleged that unlike late king Birendra, the present king had failed to grasp the flow and pace of time. There are two waves in the country now—one of republican and the other of democracy. “If the king fails to grasp the situation, both the waves could become one. The king should take initiative before that,” he added.

“If the king doesn’t understand (the gravity of) the situation, I am not sure whether Lord Pashupatinath or somebody else would come for the rescue (of the monarchy),” he concluded. nepalnews.com by Apr 02 06