Kathmandu: A bomb exploded in the capital today near the venue where Maoist chairman Prachanda was addressing a rally, just hours after the Nepal government formally directed the deposed king to vacate the Naryanhiti royal palace. The bomb exploded at Ratnapark near the venue where Prachanda was holding a rally to celebrate the dawn of the republic after Nepal's historic Constituent Assembly abolished its once-revered 240-year-old Hindu monarchy on Wednesday.
The bomb hurled by activists of the underground group Ranbir Sena at 6 pm made a big sound but did not cause any damage, the police said. Pro-Hindu organization Ranabir Sena was behind the blast, according to the police, who also recovered pamphlets issued by them at the venue. Another bomb was also detected at the site which was diffused by the police. A previously unknown underground group, Ranbir Sena has claimed responsibility for a number of blasts in the run up to the historic meeting of the special assembly on May 28. On May 28,the group had exploded three bombs injuring at least two individuals.
Meanwhile, Prachanda said that they would negotiate with the mainstream parties but were determined to have the three top posts of the prime minister, president and Constituent Assembly chairman. He said CPN-Maoist is not prepared to sacrifice any of the three posts though it will invite other political parties to share the posts of ministers in the government. The Maoists have emerged as the largest party in the constituent assembly with no one getting clear majority. The deadlock among the political parties has caused delay in expected formation of the coalition government.
