Days numbered for King: CPI

New Delhi, Apr 27 (UNI) The CPI today cautioned the Manmohan Singh government against referring to King Gyanendra's status as a ceremonial head or a constitutional monarch and said it was for the people of Nepal to decide.

'It is not for us to suggest such a thing. For the King, the bells have tolled,'' CPI General Secretary A B Bardhan told newspersons at party headquarters Ajoy Bhawan here.

Mr Bardhan, the veteran Communist leader said this was evident from the detailed discussions he held this morning with Nepal's CPI(MUL) General Secretary Madhav Nepal.

''Mr Nepal told me they are working out a procedure by which the King has not to administer an oath tomorrow.'' The Indian government had made a mistake by welcoming the initial offer of the King which had no content at all, but the mistake was rectified without delay, he said.

He said this is ''our duty'' to help them economically in accordance with their aspiraitons and without any undue interfernce on our part. Quoting Mr Nepal, the CPI veteran said the first task before the Seven Parties Alliance(SPA) was to call a Constitutent Assembly in consultation with the Maoists, to integrate them in the mainstream.

In reply to a question whether the Maoists had opted for a parallel government while the SPA favoured elections to the Constituent Assembly, Mr Barhdan said according to the agreed 12 points, they fully stood for a multi-party democracy.

Mr Bardhan referring to the ''rally'' to be convened by the SPA and the Maoists tomorrow in Kathmandu, said CPI national Executive member Atul Kumar Anjan had already reached there to express solidarity with the Nepali people who had had achieved an ''unprecendented and historic victory.'' Mr Bardhan said the party had also sent a goodwill message to the SPA leaders.

''The democratic people of India will firmly stand with you,'' the message added.

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