Nepal Prime Minister G P Koirala has suggested the king gives up his throne ahead of elections that will decide the political future of the tiny Himalayan nation, news reports said on Monday. Koirala has asked both King Gyanendra and Crown Prince Paras to abdicate in a move he said would save the kingdom’s 240-year-old monarchy, the newspaper Kathmandu Post has reported.“If the king and the crown prince abdicate before the Constituent Assembly election, monarchy can be allowed to continue,” Koirala told a group of visiting Pakistani journalists, said the Post.The PM has suggested that Gyanendra’s 5-year-old grandson Hridayendra be allowed ascend the throne and hold a purely ceremonial role, the report said.However, this has come in for severe criticism from the Maoists, who waged a 10-year rebellion against the monarchy before renouncing violence and joining the political mainstream as a part of a peace process. “The Prime Minister’s remarks prove that both he and his party are not in favour of a republic. It also shows that he is trying to save the monarchy,” said Maoist leader Prachanda.
