Activists of Nepal's ruling party, including a former prime minister appointed by the King Gyanendra, Thursday turned on the royalist government by joining opposition-led street protests.
Lokendra Bahadur Chand, who became prime minister in 2002 when the king dismissed the elected government, led some 5,000 protesters from his National Democratic Party who chanted slogans calling for an all-party government.
However, the protesters did not denounce the king, unlike activists of five opposition parties that have spearheaded noisy protests in the capital Kathmandu since April 1.
Riot police kept a close watch on the demonstration but made no arrests. Police have rounded up thousands of protesters in the April protests, although nearly all of them are released within hours.
The king appointed Chand after accusing elected leaders of failing the Himalayan kingdom during the 12 years of democratic rule, particularly by not stopping Maoist rebels who rule much of the countryside.
The main parties of the dissolved parliament refused to deal with Chand, who quit in May 2003 saying he wanted to pave the way for reconciliation.
But Chand's successor, Surya Bahadur Thapa, has also failed to make peace with the opposition. The National Democratic Party leadership has distanced itself from Thapa, a veteran of the right-leaning party, and the protesters Thursday called on the premier to step down.
Analysts said the ruling party was joining a protest bandwagon in anticipation that the king could call sudden elections to defuse the crisis.
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