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Attempts to dispel uncertainty over the proposed commission to probe the royal massacre may end up with parties agreeing to an expanded commission, with more political representation and experts.
According to indications available, moves are afoot to get the main opposition party, the Communist Party of Nepal (UML) back on board. Its general secretary and country's opposition leader Madhav Nepal had resigned from the commission on Tuesday, protesting against formation of the committee, since it "was not in consonance with the Constitution and law, and since it was not done in a transparent way".
Sources said that the government would soon announce reconstitution of the commission, which would include a nominee from Madhav Nepal's CPN-UML, the Nepali Congress and another from the Rashtriya Prajatantrik Party.
The names doing the rounds are CPN-UML's Bharat Mohan Adhikary, its chief whip in the national assembly, NC's Susheel Koirala and a nominee from the RPP. The expanded commission may include experts, probably senior police officers, the sources said.
Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala is expected to call on King Gyanendra, to submit the new plan and get his approval. The cabinet is also expected to discuss the issue later.
The sources said hectic negotiations were on between the government and opposition parties, especially the CPN-UML.
King Gyanendra had announced the setting up of a commission to probe last Friday's massacre of royalties, including the King and Queen, allegedly by Crown Prince Dipendra.
The commission was to be headed by the chief justice of the Supreme Court, Keshav Prasad Upadhyaya, and besides Nepal, national assembly speaker Taranath Ranabhat.
The opposition CPN-UML pointed out that the commission was not formed after the cabinet took such a decision. "Constitutional clauses and sub-clauses, according to which the committee was formed, were not mentioned while naming the committee," party spokesman K P Sharma Oli said on Tuesday.
But Nepal's Deputy Prime Minister Ram Chandra Poudel argued that the King formed the committee on the advice of the prime minister. He said the prime minister decided on the probe only after consulting the cabinet and opposition leaders.
The king was only announcing it formally, and declaring the names of members of the commission, he said.
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