Nepal ex-King defies PM,attends yagna

His warning came two days after Gyanendra attended another yagna in eastern Nepals Jhumka area. Over there he commented that Nepali nationalism and democracy as well as public safety had come under severe threat in recent times.

Bhattarais statement,apparently in consultation with President Ram Baran Yadav,was taken as a warning to the former king that he should curtail his movements and that he should not be speaking on the political and topical issues. But he went to attend the Gopal mad-mahayagna at Shankhamul area in the capital and spent nearly an hour there. The yagna was conducted for peace and prosperity of the country.

Gyanendra simply smiled when asked to comment on the warning issued by the prime minister. When requested by the media to speak on the current situation,he said he had just said something on the issue.

Although in the past three years the government has occasionally imposed a ban on his visits to temples on certain occasions,this is first time that the prime minister issued warned him on the issue.