Pokhara, January 7:

Nepali Congress (NC) joint general secretary Ram Sharan Mahat today claimed that the King was using Rajparishad as a political tool.

Speaking at an interaction organised by the Kaski unit of the NC in Pokhara, Mahat said, “The duty of the Rajparishad is to decide the successor of the Rajparishad not to indulge in politics.” He said the Rajparishad has no business advising the political parties.

Saying that the King had no right to conduct polls in the present constitution, he said, “The municipal polls were just a ploy to strengthen the autocratic regime.”

Claiming that the polls could not be conducted impartially, he said, “The municipal polls without the involvement of leading political parties will be meaningless.”

He said political parties would reach all the areas of the municipalities within a week with peaceful campaign to boycott polls.

He said, “Eighty per cent of voters associated with different political parties will boycott the polls.”