Kathmandu, Oct 05: Hours after King Gyanendra fired him as Prime Minister, Sher Bahadur Deuba today rejected his ouster as unconstitutional.

``The announcement by the King was totally unconstitutional and against the decision reached by all political parties in the country,'' Deuba told nearly 200 party workers who assembled at his house to express their support. In a surprise announcement on state-run radio and television close to midnight King Gyanendra said he had fired Deuba and disbanded his cabinet. Deuba had earlier asked the King to postpone November's parliamentary elections by a year because of concerns about attacks by Maoist rebels.

``I was asked by all the major political parties to postpone the election as it was not possible to hold it in the present situation and that was exactly what I had recommended the King do,'' Deuba said. The king instead fired Deuba from the job he had held for the past 13 months.

``I have decided to relieve incompetent Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, who was incapable of holding the parliamentary election on schedule, and have disbanded the cabinet,'' the King said.

It was the first time since the end of the absolute monarchy in 1990 that a Nepalese King has ousted an elected government and its leader. Bureau Report