By Sudeshna Sarkar, IANS
Kathmandu : Nepal’s biggest opposition party, the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP), has said it would not support the anti-monarchy motion to be tabled in a parliament session by the Maoists Thursday as it goes against the constitution and people’s sovereignty.
The RPP is leading protest rallies in the capital Wednesday and will submit a memorandum to Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala, telling him the current parliament has no power to decide the fate of King Gyanendra and Nepal’s 238-year royal family.
The RPP, once one of the top four parties in Nepal, became increasingly marginalized when a new seven-party alliance came to power after the fall of King Gyanendra’s government last year.
Once a party that supported monarchy, the RPP however has been under attack from both King Gyanendra and the Maoists.
To punish it for not taking part in the municipal election held by him last year, King Gyanendra caused it to split.
Afterwards, when the RPP said it was ready to take part in the November election for a constituent assembly, the Maoists disrupted its public meetings.
According to Pashupati Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana, the president of RPP, the current parliament had lived beyond its bona fide term.
“It’s in the eighth year, when the house is elected for a five-year term,” Rana told IANS. “It was reinstated because of special circumstances but doesn’t have the mandate to decide issues of paramount importance.
“Also, over one-third of its members are nominated.”
The RPP is opposing the Maoist bid to force a special session of parliament from Thursday when they will use a constitutional provision — put there on their insistence — that allows the government to abolish monarchy if two-thirds of the MPs agree.
“The interim constitution says a constituent assembly will be elected and then, at its first session, decide on monarchy,” Rana said.
“Issues of paramount importance should be decided by the people, who have been given sovereignty by the constitution.
“If anyone tries to usurp the power of the rightful owner, it contravenes people’s sovereignty.”
Though the RPP opposition is not likely to affect the outcome of the vote if other parties decide to support the Maoists, it is still the voice of the opposition that leaders say should be heard in a democracy.
In the original house, when it was elected in 1999, the RPP had eight MPs. However, one was killed, one has left the country and some were “expelled” for supporting King Gyanendra by the seven-party alliance when they came to power.
Unification talks are now on between the RPP and its two splinters, the Rastriya Janashakti Party of former premier Surya Bahadur Thapa, and Rastriya Prajatantra Party-Nepal, headed by former minister Rabindranath Sharma.
Both the splinters are also ready to fight in the election, which was postponed indefinitely by the government. They are also opposing the bid to decide the king’s fate in the current parliament.
Sharma, whose party has also come under attack from the Maoists for supporting a constitutional monarchy, said he was ready to support the proposal floated recently by Maoist chief Prachanda for a referendum.
“People are fed up with the 17-month rule of the Koirala government,” Sharma told IANS. “There’s no security, no rule of law. If there is a free and fair election, there will be strong support for monarchy.
“It’s not my personal view. Opinion polls conducted by different agencies have indicated this.”