Former PM Bhattarai turns down king's offer to head new cabinet

Kathmandu, Apr 21 (UNI) Former Prime Minister Krishna Prasad Bhattarai snubbed Royal Palace's offer to head a new cabinet that the King wants to form as a safe-landing measure following a two- week long street protests across the country, media reports said here today.

According to a leading newspaper, the Kantipur, some people close to the palace were in Bhattarai's residence yesterday afternoon to take him to palace but were forced to return empty-handed.

The former Prime Minister is reported to have told the palace emissaries that he would not like to become next hand-picked Prime Minister and that restoration of democracy was pre-condition for him taking over the charge.

He had met the King this week along with other former Prime Ministers but not any leader of the seven party alliance.

Founder member of the Nepali Congress and the first speaker of the Lower House in 1960, Bhattarai is not active in politics for the last few years and has remained silente even in the recent political developments.

However, leaders of the seven parties alliance have said that the revival of the House and election to the Constituent Assembly are the bottomlines of their demands.

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