KATHMANDU: An all-party meeting is currently underway at the Prime Minister's official residence in Baluwatar.

PM KP Sharma Oli today called an all-party meeting to ‘discuss contemporary political issues’, a day after the ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP) Standing Committee floated the idea of an all-party meeting to discuss protests in major cities by royalists.

The PM, however, was not present in the Standing Committee meeting of his party.

Oli's Political Adviser, Bishnu Rimal, had said contemporary political and social issues would be discussed in the meeting.

A source close to the Prime Minister said the PM wanted to hear the views of political parties on all contemporary issues, including the threat posed by royalists, COVID-19 crisis and supply of COVID-19 vaccines.

According to NCP Standing Committee member Ganesh Shah, NCP Co-chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal had backed the idea of calling an all-party meeting to discuss current issues, particularly the threat posed by royalist forces, at Sunday's Standing Committee meeting.

Nepali Congress lawmaker Radhe Shyam Adhikari, who is also a senior advocate, told THT that no one should worry about protests launched by royalists as long as they were peaceful. “I don’t think that all the people that have hit the streets are royalists. I think a lot of people are frustrated and angry with the government for its failure to deliver services and control corruption."

Royalist forces have been taking out rallies across Nepal calling for the restoration of monarchy.