Siraha, January 11:

Former prime minister and Rastriya Janashakti Party (RJP) chairman Surya Bahadur Thapa said today the seven parties had no right to declare the nation a republic. He said declaring a republic is prerogative of the people.

Speaking at a programme of the RJP in Ramnagar Mirchaiya of Siraha district, Thapa said, “The parties in the government are to blame for the delay in holding the CA polls.”

“If the Tarai problem is not solved, the country will drift towards grave danger,” he said. Co-chairman of the RJP Dr Prakash Chandra Lohani claimed that the present government was not a government of the people, but a syndicate of the seven parties.

RJP general secretary Keshar Bahadur Bista said the seven parties had failed to hold the CA polls and were trying to cover up for this failure by putting “all the blame on the king”.