Kathmandu, September 21:

General Secretary K B Gurung-led section of the Nepali Congress (NC) is expected to oppose the move to declaring the nation a republic when the stricture will be moved in the parliament next week.

The strategy to this effect was discussed and mooted today at a meeting of the section of the party led by General Secretary Gurung which was attended by central leaders Govinda Raj Joshi, Khum Bahadur Khadka, Sujata Koirala, Man Bahadur BK, Sunil Bhandari, Laxman Ghimire, Akal Bahadur Rai, Dil Bahdur Gharti and Meena Pandey.

“We assembled at the party office and dwelled on the issue of declaring the country a republic from the parliament. We have come to the conclusion that we will have to present a case against it when the opportune moment comes,” said NC Central Working Committee member Binay Dhoj Chand, who also attended the meeting.

He said that the section of the party is smelling rat in the entire exercise of declaring the country a republic since, as he said, that the Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala could be left to face a vote of no confidence if the government cannot implement the parliamentary stricture that the nation is a republic.

“Of course the stricture may be passed. But we have made the point by speaking against it,” Chanda said, also shedding light on the constitutional repercussions of the move which among others include going against the interim constitution, which has accepted monarchy in its current dormant form.