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| Kathmandu, Thursday December 19, 2002 Paush 04, 2059. |
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Make army accountable to parliament, says Koirala
By Chintamani Dahal
BIRTAMOD, Dec 18 :
Nepali Congress (NC) president Girija Prasad Koirala today demanded that army should be
made accountable to parliament under statute.
"Army must be
accountable to parliament. This is the normal practice of democracy," Koirala said
while addressing a huge rally of party workers here. He said this would also enhance
people’s faith in the army.
Recalling the royal
massacre, Koirala said that he was shocked when the erstwhile army chief said that the
security of the Royal Palace was not the duty of the army.
" If the army
cannot protect palace and people, it is high time it is made accountable to parliament so
that people and palace are protected," Koirala further suggested.
Koirala also obliquely
criticized the king for "acting opposite to what he assures leaders in private."
Koirala expressed this
view at a rally organised as part of the second phase of the mass awakening campaign, in
protest against the royal move of October 4, in which the government led by Sher Bahadur
Deuba was unceremoniously dismissed.
" There have been
productive discussion with king whenever I got audience. But what is also true is events
take unexpected turn the next morning. In fact this is something which I have failed to
comprehend," Koirala said addressing the rally.
Suggesting that the
king should not obstruct the natural course of politics, Koirala warned of an accident if
the political and constitutional process was unduly obstructed. "In fact such an
accident could be unfortunate for the institution of monarchy."
Saying that it is
difficult for the institution of monarchy "to gain equilibrium once the foot
slips" Koirala further said that people can never be expected to live with the
setback and that monarch should never fiddle with the aspirations of the common people.
Koirala also raised
serious objection at the inclusion of his name in the committee formed to organise civic
reception of King Gyanendra in Biratnagar on January 3. Saying that the event did not have
much substance, Koirala said he was never asked for his consensus when the committee was
instituted. "The committee smacks of Panchayat era efforts," Koirala said.
He also said that
people have already felicitated the new king earlier on and that the latest effort on the
part of the king was aimed at demonstrating the claim that the monarch too has a large
following.
Reiterating the
party’s consistent view that the only way out of the current political and
constitutional crisis was the reinstatement of the House of Representatives, Koirala
further reinforced the party’s view that there was no alternative solution of the
crisis.
"If we lose trail
of the track, we can embark on the right path only after we start from where we took the
wrong way," Koirala said while reinforcing his views on restoration of the House of
Representatives.
Claiming that he had no
regrets issuing out of mistakes committed in the course of the last twelve years, Koirala
said, "Of course, people who take up the challenge to do something make mistakes. But
it is also true that one learns from mistakes and takes up the challenge again."
Koirala also said that
the current scenario has arisen out of tug-of-war between apologists of the parliamentary
democracy and monarchists. He also suggested that the king should not indulge in
tug-of-war with the people.
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