Himalayan News Service

Kathmandu, June 13:

At a 10,000-strong rally today in Madhayapur Thimi, the seven-party alliance called for the restoration of the House of Representatives. “If the King is keen to continue, he must accept the sovereignty of the people. If he does not, the people are in no mood to keep on taking it lying down,” CPN-UML leader Jhalanath Khanal said. Nepali Congress (NC) general secretary Sushil Koirala said the King had “gone overboard” but still had time to make amends and return power to the people. Speaking before Koirala and Khanal, NC(D) leader Bimalendra Nidhi claimed it was the King who opposed election to the House or a constituent assembly. He alleged the King was intimidating leaders of the alliance by means of the royal commission against corruption. “The King ruled out election, and now he is hectoring leaders into submission by threatening prosecution for alleged corruption,” Nidhi, former education minister in the erstwhile Sher Bahadur Deuba government, said. Nepal Workers and Peasants Party leader Sunil Prajapati and Nepal Sadbhavana Party (Anandi) leader Anil Jha also spoke in the same vein. The alliance has announced a protest demonstration on Friday at Sundhara in Kathmandu.