Kathmandu, July 23 :

Maoist leader Dina Nath Sharma today said that the institution of monarchy has always been opposed to the aspirations of the people and the only way to get rid of the obstacle is to go for a republican order.

He said this while speaking at an interaction at the New Media Club in the capital today.

Sharma, who is a member of the rebel talk team, also said that the latest turn of events which have culminated in the signing of the 8-point deal, reflects the ways which even Late Pushpa Lal would have approved “given his penchant for unity among desirable political forces.”

Minister of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation (MOCTA) Pradeep Gyawali defended the clause in the 8-point deal which is related to the dissolution of the House of Representatives and said that “while it was a risky thing to dissolve the parliament, it was done with a positive frame of mind.”