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NC lambasts Ranabhat for ‘bending’ to king’s will
- Ruckus over CEC appointment
KATHMANDU, NOV 27 - Nepali Congress (NC) leaders expressed extreme displeasure at Speaker Tara Nath Ranabhat for "meekly" submitting to the suggestions of the king on the issue of appointments to the post of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC).
Ranabhat faced the ire on Wednesday when the Central Working Committee (CWC) of the party grilled him for keeping quiet while the constitutional monarch dictated the names, apparently violating the spirit of the constitution.
Defending himself, Ranabhat said since the call to include the name of Keshav Raj Rajbhandari had come from King Gyanendra and as Prime Minister Surya Bahadur Thapa and Chief Justice Kedar Nath Upadhayay were submissive, "there was nothing I could do."
However, according to a NC central committee member, this failed to pacify CWC members and they asked him why he could not "object", write a note of dissent or boycott" the meeting if he knew that King Gynendra was prompting Rajbhandari’s name. Some even reminded him of the tough time faced by former Prime Minister Krishna Prasad Bhattarai who braved five army generals who were bullying him to drop the idea of coming up with the democratic constitution and instead accept one floated by the king.
It may be recalled that while the Constitutional Council (CC) had suggested former Secretary Bhoj Raj Pokharel as the next CEC on August 21, the recommendation had not taken effect until now, with the king seeking revision on Friday.
Since CC members were left to revise the list anyway, it had also impaneled former Chief Secretary Tirtha Man Shakya, although he is someone who had been summoned by the CIAA in connection with corruption charges recently.
In yet another important development, the NC decided to issue its umpteenth call to all those who had strayed from the parent party to come back to the party fold and extend support in the movement against regression. Although a source said the call has been issued pointedly to Khum Bahadur Khadka, the same could not be independently verified. The fact that the NC has issued a call to all those who had strayed from the main party was earlier reiterated by the party spokesman Arjun Narsingh KC.
Meanwhile, the party has put on hold its plan to open formal talks with the Maoist rebels since, as a source said, it was yet to analyse the latest developments including the CPN-UML’s overture with the Maoists, among others. It was, however, announced that party president Koirala would be addressing cadres in Bhairahawa on November 28, Nepalgunj on November 29 and Mahendranagar on November 30.Posted on: 2003-11-26 10:56
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