Kathmandu, January 21:

Leaders of the seven agitating parties today said the King has no option but to revive the dissolved House of Representatives, which would announce an election to a constituent assembly to end the national crisis.

They also said the government clamped a daytime curfew in the capital yesterday to prevent a ‘sea of people’ from taking to the streets.

“The King has only two options if he wants to secure his future: either revive the dissolved House of Representatives or be ready to go for an election to a constituent assembly to prove his popularity,” said standing committee member of the CPN-UML Modnath Prasrit. He was speaking at the Reporters’ Club.

He said the government clamped down curfew in the capital yesterday to prevent a sea of people from taking to the streets to protest against the King’s autocracy.

“The daytime curfew proves how much panic-striken the government had been with the parties’ planned demonstration,” he said. Coordinator of the Civil Society for Peace and Democracy Dr Sundar Mani Dixit said it was ridiculous to put leaders such as Girija Prasad Koirala and Madhav Kumar Nepal under house-arrest on suspicion that they were likely to create disturbance in society.

“It is also ridiculous on the part of the government to imagine that the Maoists will infiltrate in the seven-party alliance’s rally and throw stones at the security personnel,” Dixit said.

The government had no right to say that the curfew was clamped to maintain law and order, which did not even reciprocate the Maoists’ unilateral ceasefire that would have paved the way for lasting peace.

Dr Narayan Khadka, a Nepali Congress-Democratic leader, said dialogue with the King would be possible provided the latter was ready to implement the 12-point understanding reached between the parties and the Maoists and to withdraw the civic elections. He also said the people and the state could no longer pay price for the sake of a family’s interest.

Member of the National Human Rights Commission Sudip Pathak lamented that the government did not allow a peaceful rally to take place. He said the government did not follow general procedures while making arrests of party leaders and human rights defenders.

“UML leader K P Sharma Oli, who lives in Bhaktapur, was given an arrest warrant letter issued by Kathmandu Chief District Officer while Narayan Man Bijukchhe was handed out a blank arrest warrant letter issued by Bhaktapur CDO,” Pathak said.

He said the Home Ministry had allocated Rs 11.186 million to provide minimum facilities to the political detainees but nothing was provided to them.

“The NHRC met all the detainees in various detention centres. UML leader Pradip Nepal’s health condition is deteriorating and the government must either make necessary arrangement for his medical treatment or set him free on humanitarian ground,” Pathak said. He was given a letter of arrest warrant saying that he was creating “confusion” in his locality whereas he had been bed-ridden for the last three days.

He also said Koirala’s telephone line was cut off and his family members were denied an access to him.