Gorkha, May 27:

Senior Maoist leader Dr Babu Ram Bhattarai today said that the king will not let the constituent assembly elections take place if the country is not declared a republic soon.

Dr Bhattarai was speaking at a mass meeting organised in his hometown in Gorkha. Pointing at the unrest “going on in the Tarai in the name of Chure Bhawar Ekta Samaj, Tarai Cobra, Tarai Tigers,” Bhattarai said, “The king will not let constituent assembly polls take place if a republic is not announced soon.”

He called for the establishment of “a republic that upholds nationalism.” Villages are steeped in poverty, injustice and inequality, Dr Bhattarai said, adding that programmes aimed at developing the villages should be launched. Minister for Physical Planning and Works, Hisila Yami, urged Bhattarai to hasten the pace of development in the districts.