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Nepal celebrates takeover from King

      Kathmandu: Nepalese took to the streets of Kathmandu and other places in the kingdom to celebrate Parliament's decision on Thursday to drastically curb King Gyanendra's absolute powers. Nepal's parliament voted unanimously in favour of a landmark plan to strip the King of control of the army. The proclamation effectively makes the king a ceremonial figure. The move followed mass street protests in April which led the king to recall parliament and end direct palace rule. The country's interim government, which took office after the king restored parliament, has declared Friday a public holiday to celebrate the proclamation. More people are expected to take part in "victory rallies" which are being organised by the political parties on Friday. Cutting the powers of the king, who seized direct powers in 2005, was a key demand of the pro-democracy protesters who took to the streets across Nepal. Maoist rebels, who have fought for a republic for 10 years, gave the proclamation a cautious welcome but said it did not go far enough. "We want to make it clear that this declaration has not been able to fully address the needs and aspirations of Nepal and the Nepali people," rebel leader Prachanda said in a statement.

     The Maoists want to get rid of the monarchy but most of the governing coalition are non-committal on the issue. Peace talks between the government and the rebels have been announced, but no date or venue has been set. The interim government's proclamation overrides the 1990 Constitution, which handed most power to parliament but kept the monarchy involved in politics. The far-reaching measures were unveiled in parliament by the new Prime Minister, GP Koirala. The plans include bringing 90,000 troops under the direct control of the parliament, taxing the royal family and its assets, scrapping the royal advisory council, the Raj Parishad, removing royal references from the titles of the army and government and declaring Nepal a secular country, after years as the world's only Hindu kingdom. The proclamation says it will annul those articles of the current constitution which contradict it, although observers say this is likely to come under challenge in the courts at some point.

Left hails move to curb King's powers

      Kathmandu/New Delhi: The Left parties in India today welcomed Nepal Parliament's approval of a sweeping plan to curtail the powers of the king and take away his control over the army. While addressing a news conference in here today, Communist Party of India (Marxist) Politburo member, Sitaram Yechuri, said that Thursday's move was reflective of the popular mandate in Nepal. "Whatever decisions were taken in Nepal, we welcome it as they are related to the feelings of the people of Nepal. They were not part of any efforts to please anyone but were reflective of a popular mandate that vowed for a democratic Nepal..." Yechury said. Yechury was among the political leaders from India involved in arriving at an agreement between the seven-parties coalition and the Maoists after the King reinstated the Parliament. "A kingdom in today's modern world is an anachronism. Today, the world is moving to republican democracy and I think (for) all people of all countries it is a genuine aspiration and the force in the content of democracy has been recognised by everybody including the Maoists. The Maoists are on record to say that the revolution in the 21st century will be not be a replica of the revolution of the 20th century," Yechury added. The news was greeted with victory rallies across Nepal. In the capital, Kathmandu, residents lit candles outside their houses in celebration.

    Thursday's proclamation takes away the title of supreme commander-in-chief of the military from the king, traditionally revered as an incarnation of Hindu God Vishnu until the present monarch fell foul of his people after he grabbed power in 2005. The government will no longer be called "His Majesty's Government" but just Nepal government. The country would also stop being a Hindu nation and become a secular state. Meanwhile, Nepal's Maoist rebels backed the sweeping cuts of the king's powers but said the changes should not overshadow planned talks to end their decade-old insurgency that aims to overthrow the monarchy. The elusive rebel chief Prachanda said in a statement that his party welcomes and supports the move. The proclamation seemed to have interpreted last month's mass protests against the king and demands for a republic to mean that the monarch should remain a ceremonial head, Prachanda said. He said the move was silent about "peace talks as a solution to the problem of a decade-old civil war and this has given rise to serious suspicion".

     The proclamation also declared the royal family had to pay taxes, scrapped the royal advisory council and declared Nepal was no longer a Hindu kingdom but a secular country. It also said that the king's actions could be challenged in court and took over the power to make laws on the heir to the throne. The landmark decision came less than a month after often-violent mass protests across the impoverished Himalayan nation forced King Gyanendra to reinstate Parliament and hand power back to a multi-party government. The resolution was approved by a verbal vote on Thursday by deputies in the 205-member assembly less than two hours after it was presented by Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala. Some analysts, however, have expressed doubts over the effectiveness of the proclamation, and said it could be challenged in court. But the multi-party government asserts that the document overrides the 1990 constitution and has the force of law. Nepal's media widely welcomed it and the government declared Friday a public holiday to mark the event.