Kathmandu, July 06: Members of Nepal's dissolved Parliament have proposed an 18 point agenda that largely focuses on clipping the powers of the king, amending the Constitution and even changing the national anthem which praises the monarch. "Though monarchist Prime Minister Surya Bahadur Thapa was vested with all the executive powers during his appointment by the king, we believe that the King still enjoys the state authority and we want to end all his discretionary powers," an Upper House member belonging to CPN-UML Maheshmani Dixit said after the two-day meeting which ended last night, in which 125 out of a total 205 members participated. Scrapping the Raj Parishad (a privy council), limiting the royal title to king, queen and crown prince, having a new national anthem and making public royal assets are some of the highlights of the agenda adopted by the five agitating parties at the conclave.
"The present national anthem includes praise of the King and we want to change that anthem so that it reflected pride, national unity and patriotism," said former MP Tirtharam Dangol belonging to the Nepali Congress. The parties also endorsed a number of provisions for amending the present Constitution which include provision for holding a referendum on critical issues, restructuring the National Assembly with more representation of the ethnic community and the oppressed class and reserving 33 percent seats for women in the local bodies.
Bureau Report