Himalayan News Service

Kathmandu, May 13:

Intellectuals today said that King Gyanendra has failed to rule the nation properly during the last 19 months after the sacking of the elected Prime Minister and holding the executive powers to himself.

According to them, the King has failed to maintain law and order situation and hold elections. The King had sacked the then Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba accusing him of failing to maintain law and order situation and hold general elections.

“Though the political parties are not clean, the King is more responsible for the present crisis in the country as he is the one who derailed the constitution,” former minister and senior advocate Basudev Dhungana said.

Dhungana was addressing a meeting organised by the alliance of professionals, which includes lawyers, doctors, professors, engineers, teachers and journalists, to mull over a way out of the current politico-constitutional impasse. Dhungana urged the King to act as a constitutional monarch or face a potential threat to the existence of the monarchy itself.

He also accused the King of committing a big mistake at first by sacking the elected Prime Minister against the constitutional provisions, adding, the King committed a series of mistakes then after.

He added that the King has no options left but to appoint a leader recommended by the five agitating parties in the PM’s post and reinstate the House of Representatives. “The time has come the King should realise that he cannot go alone for long period,” he said.

Former minister Dr Mathura Prasad Shrestha said the King has no right to choose a Prime Minister but he can only appoint a leader recommended by the parties in the PM’s post.

He said the next Prime Minister must be serious enough to solve the Maoist conflict.

Dr Mangal Siddhi Manandhar, member of the dissolved House, said there was no alternative but to formulate a new constitution.

“As the King violated the current statute, a new constitution curbing the King’s power is the need of the hour,” he said.

Former Speaker and senior advocate Daman Nath Dhungana, however, said there were no indications that the present movement would end very soon.

“Since the King has not shown any sign to keep himself within the constitutional boundaries, there is a need of a long movement to get people’s rights back,” Dhungana said. According to him, the King has four options; remain in the constitutional boundaries, hold elections for constituent assembly, implement the 18-point agenda prepared by the five parties or prepare himself foe a republican set-up.