Kathmandu, July 05: Five of Nepal's biggest political parties strongly criticised King Gyanendra's sacking of the elected government last year in five-hour sitting today. The session, the second consecutive day the former MPs have met, was attended by about 90 per cent of members elected in 1999, a Nepali Congress Party source said. Former Premier Girija Prasad Koirala denounced the King as "undemocratic" and said the parties would continue their struggle to be returned to the House. Riot police patrolled outside the National City Hall in Kathmandu, where the meeting was held.
It was the fourth time members of the dissolved Parliament have declared the assembly open. The first such session was May 28, and the political parties claim it helped lead to the resignation two days later of the royal-appointed Premier, Lokendra Bahadur Chand.
The King dissolved the Parliament in June 2002 on the advice of then Premier Sher Bahadur Deuba, who was himself removed from office in October when Gyanendra declared him "incompetent." Bureau Report