Political parties say success round the corner

Life in the Himalayan Kingdom of Nepal continued to be crippled for the eleventh day on Sunday as the Maoists and members of the Seven Party Alliance (SPA) began their final countdown for the fall of King Gyanendra's "autocratic" rule.

Former Deputy Prime Minister and veteran leader of Communist Party of Nepal (UML) Bharat Mohan Bhattarai told Hindustan Times that they have intensified their pro-democracy movement, and their "goal" was not too far.

"The count-down has begun," Bhattarai said, adding that the 58-year-old monarch, who took over the reins of the country 14 months ago, would soon succumb to the pressure from the people and international communities.

Senior politburo member of CPN (UML) Pradip Nepal said they were confident that the King would capitulate within a week, as several lakh people are on the streets, fighting for restoration of democracy.

Though there has been no official estimation of peoples' participation in the protest, the CPN (UML) members said more than 20 lakh people were directly involved in the protest.

The former Deputy Prime Minister said King Gyanendra had lost his balance, for which, he did not understand the ground circumstances of the country, and the imminent danger before the Royal Palace.

First Published: Apr 17, 2006 13:57 IST