Kathmandu: The leaders of Nepal's Opposition alliance on Saturday decided to take all legal and political means to counter Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli and President Bidya Devi Bhandari's "unconstitutional and undemocratic" move of dissolving the House of Representatives.
President Bhandari on Saturday dissolved the House of Representatives and announced mid-term polls on November 12 and 19 after she determined that both embattled Prime Minister Oli and the Opposition alliance's candidate Sher Bahadur Deuba were not in a position to form a government.
Bhandari's announcement came after Prime Minister Oli recommended the dissolution of the 275-member House following an emergency midnight Cabinet meeting.
In a joint statement issued at the end of a meeting called to discuss the matter, the Opposition leaders expressed their commitment to unitedly defend the constitutional rights of Nepali citizens achieved at the end of years of political struggle.
They appealed to all political and civil forces to condemn and stand against the Oli-Bhandari duo's regressive, autocratic intentions, The Himalayan Times reported.
They condemned their move as "unconstitutional, undemocratic and arbitrary."
The statement was signed by Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba, CPN-Maoist Centre Chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda', CPN-UML leader Madhav Kumar Nepal, Chairperson of Janata Samajbadi Party-Nepal Upendra Yadav and Vice-Chair of the Rastriya Janamorcha Durga Paudel.
The Opposition alliance is devising a strategy to approach the Supreme Court with all its lawmakers on Sunday demanding to scrap the president's decision.
The Nepali Congress in a separate statement earlier expressed serious concerns over the dissolution of the House.
The NC said that President Bhandari and Prime Minister Oli had forgotten their morale and acted unconstitutionally.
After Prime Minister Oli's announcement not to seek a vote of confidence from parliament after his re-appointment on May 10, President Bhandari invited leaders to stake claim to the position as per Article 76(5) giving less than 24 hours.
Deuba, president of the NC, staked his claim to the post of prime minister with the signatures of 149 lawmakers in his support.
"However, President Bhandari refused Deuba's claim and helped Oli remain the Prime Minister. This move is not only just unconstitutional but also immoral," a press statement issued by the NC said.
The NC has also accused President Bhandari and PM Oli of misusing the Constitution for their own benefit as their personal property.
"PM Oli recommending forming a new government, President Bhandari announcing to stake a claim to form new government giving less than 24 hours, not appointing prime minister as per the provision of the Constitution and dissolving HoR and holding a cabinet meeting in the middle of the night are unconstitutional and anti-democratic," the statement said.
"NC strongly objects to these kinds of activities, it said.
Deuba, urging all the democratic forces to unite and act together for the protection of the Constitution and democracy, vowed to take political and legal action against the House dissolution.
Meanwhile, the ruling CPN-UML will hold its Standing Committee meeting on Saturday.
The meeting will take place at the prime minister's residence in Baluwatar.
The meeting will be focused on the midterm elections, current political scenario and the internal conflict within the party, according to Sher Bahadur Tamang, UML office secretary.