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Nepali Prime Minister Resigns Under Mounting Pressure
Nepali Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala announced on Thursday that he has decided to resign from the post of prime minister.
Koirala said in a live cast speech on the state-run Nepal Television that he decided to resign in view of the present political scenario in the country.
"I have decided to resign from the post to facilitate the resolving of the current political impasse," Koirala said, adding that there was mounting pressure from the opposition parties and his own party men.
The members of parliament from opposition parties stalled the ongoing 19th session of the parliament Wednesday, shouting slogans against Koirala and demanding his resignation, forcing the parliament to stop conducting any business.
There are also oppositions from the army to mobilize the armed forces against the underground ultra-leftist guerrillas who abducted about 70 policemen last week, Koirala said.
About 1,700 people, mostly policemen, have been killed in police-guerrillas clashes since the guerrillas launched armed activities in 1996.
Koirala has been under mounting pressure from both the opposition parties and the dissidents within his ruling Nepali Congress for him to resign for failure to suppress the guerrillas movement and for his alleged involvement in the controversial jet deal with Austrian Lauda Air.
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