Royal family attends KP Bhattarai’s birthday bash
The Royal family has extended greetings to former prime minister and founding leader of Nepali Congress Krishna Prasad Bhattarai on his 84th birthday by attending a “tea ceremony” he hosted at Hotel Himalaya in the capital Thursday.
According to hotel sources, Crown Prince Paras accompanied by his wife Crown Princess Himani arrived at the hotel exactly at 12 noon, followed by King Gyanendra and Queen Komal at 12:20 pm to attend the birthday bash.
The royal family stayed at the “strictly-by-invitation-only” ceremony thrown at the Skyline hall of the exclusive hotel for a little over half and hour during which time they are said to have wished a happy birthday to Bhattarai.
Bhattarai celebrated his birthday by cutting a cake even as he was flanked by UNMIN chief Ian Martin and former prime minister and Rastriya Prajatantra Party leader Lokendra Bahadur Chand, it is learnt.
Bhattarai's "birthday ceremony" -- celebrated in this manner for the first time -- came two days after Queen Komal's 58th birthday that fell on the day the country celebrated democracy day also. The government, top leaders including the press had snubbed her birthday celebration.
Government ministers, senior political leaders, bureaucrats, heads of security agencies and some diplomats also attended the birthday party.
The last time the ailing leader who needs a caretaker to carry him around every time he moves, was in media limelight was when he resigned as the only living founding leader of Nepali Congress after the party removed constitutional monarchy from its party statute.
Speaking briefly to journalists at the hotel premises, Bhattarai reiterated his position on monarchy, saying that monarchy should stay in Nepal for the next 300 years. nepalnews.com ag Feb 21 08
