Kathmandu, March 16:

Speaker of the dissolved House of Representatives, Taranath Ranabhat, today warned that an election to constituent assembly would lead the country towards disintegration and urged the King, the political parties and the Maoists to give up their adamant stances and return to the negotaiting table to find settlement of the conflcit.

“Election to the constituent assembly will disintegrate the country into baisi and chaubise states. Moreover, it is unnecessary as we already have a constitution,” Speaker Ranabhat said while addressing a programme organised by the Gantabya Nepal, a fortnightly news magazine, at Nepal Tourism Board. He said the issues raised by the Maoists could be discussed and the constitution could be amended to address such issues.

Ranabhat urged the King to give up his political ambitions and transfer power to the people. He asked the Maoists to abandon arms and violence and the political parties to suspend their street agitation to find amicable solution to the problems facing the country.

“The King has failed to restore peace, democracy and good governance or maintain fiscal discipline,” Ranabhat said, adding that economic development would never be achieved without addressing the political problems. “Economic prosperity, including tourism development, is possible only if the people are allowed to rule themselves and political stability is ensured,” he said. Outgoing president of Trekking Asociation of Nepal, Dipak Mahat, said the tourism sector would never flourish in the absence of democracy and peace. “All tourism entrepreneurs must take to the streets and raise voice for demcoracy and peace,” Mahat said.