Nepalese King Seizes Power But Denies Staging Coup By Patricia Nunan New Delhi 01 February 2005 The King of Nepal has seized power- dismissing the government and deploying troops around the home of the prime minister. But King Gyanendra is denying his moves amount to a coup d'etat. King Gyanendra says he will chair a new government for the next three years in what he called the interest of Nepal's people and democracy. On state television Tuesday the king said the current government had been dismissed for failing to organize elections and establishing peace with the Maoist rebels. Troops have surrounded the houses of Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and other government leaders. Communications in the capital Kathmandu have been cut off. But the king denies this amounts to a coup. King Gyanendra assumed the throne after the 2001 massacre of the royal family carried out by a prince. Since then, he has struggled to defeat a Maoist insurgency in the countryside and has been at odds with Nepal's political parties