PM requests old priests to continue Puja in Pashupatinath; vows to meet NC demands
Overturning his earlier decision of appointing new priests in Pashupatinath temple, Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' has requested the old priests to continue Puja in the holy Hindu shrine.
"Till the new dispensation is not decided, I ask the previous Mul bhatta (who had recently resigned) to continue to perform traditional duties beginning today," said PM Dahal, who is also the patron of Pashupati Area Development Trust (PADT).
Addressing the parliament, Wednesday, he said that the government will abide by the decision of the Supreme Court (SC), which had earlier issued an interim order asking the government not to use new priests for Puja in Pashupatinath temple.
His new decision has come amid controversy over the issue in Nepal as well as India.
At the parliament, PM Dahal also made statement fulfilling demands of the opposition party.
PM Dahal said that regarding the demands raised by main opposition Nepali Congress (NC), the government would return seized properties. "Private, public, or other properties would be returned to rightful owners starting immediately and within three months while the paramilitary nature of YCL will be ended within two to three weeks," he said.
PM Dahal said that necessary instructions have been given to district administration offices to carry out these orders.
He said that anyone not getting back their properties on time would receive compensation based on the income of such properties beginning Mangsir.
PM Dahal also expressed his sadness over what he calls as 'misplaced priority.'
He said that he felt that the parties were giving lesser priority to the major duty of constitution-making. "Sometimes I feel we are acting as if we live in a period where we have already written the constitution," he said.
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