Kathmandu, July 24
Nepal’s President Bidhya Devi Bhandari summoned Nepali Congress chief Sher Bahadur Deuba to her office on Sunday morning to object to remarks made by an NC leader over the Head of State’s role in formation of a new government.
According to a highly placed source, President Bhandari, alluding to Congress leader Ramesh Lekhak’s remarks in Parliament on Saturday, told Deuba that political parties should not bring the Head of State into disrepute over partisan interests.
Lekhak, in his speech in Parliament, had said the President need not appeal to the political parties to form a new government. According to the Constitution the President, once the motion of no-confidence is passed, the President needs to call on all political parties form a government of national consensus, and if parties fail to do so within a stipulated time, then only can the president call for proposals to form a majority government.
According to an aide to Deuba, the President told the Congress chief that change of guard in government was a usual affair in democracy, and there was no need to press the panic button.
Maoist leader Prachanda met President Bhandari immediately after she finished her meeting with Deuba.
