The poll results have made it clear that the Nepali people are not only totally disillusioned with the corrupt and anti-national politicians of the Nepali Congress and CPN (UML) but want to test a new party which is still to prove its merit. If the hopes of Girija Prasad Koirala to install his daughter as his successor have been dashed to pieces, the dreams of Madhav Nepal to become prime minister too have evaporated into the thin air. Since the CPN (Maoists) have emerged as the largest party with the visible claim to lead the country, they too will have to overcome problems before they establish themselves as legitimate leaders in the government. The rigid clauses of the Interim Constitution passed by an illegitimate assembly of nominated members who had lost all reason and logic in the flush of unprecedented victory against the monarchy, have made their job of forming the new government very formidable. The claims of the seven party alliance to rule the country have been nullified by the polls. The Maoists seem to be riding the waves. It is time they came down to earth and realized the reality. Since they have not been given an absolute majority, they must not overlook the frustrations and disillusionments of the people underlying their partial mandate. It is their testing time. They must not do anything that might induce the people to tar them with the same brush they did with the Nepali Congress and the UML. They must never lose sight of the axiomatic truth that this assembly has been elected to draft the peoples’ constitution. As such, this constituent assembly has no mandate whatsoever to pass any laws or ruling that could have far reaching repercussions for the people or the country or affect the societal or national structure, heritage or beliefs. Any trespassing of the only mandate is sure to spell disaster not only for the government in power but to the whole country as well. The Nepali people have suffered for long. They are indeed looking up to the revolutionary Maoists but are also very apprehensive that the Maoists too might be strayed away from their designated path by quislings, Lendhup Dorjis and enemies of the state. In order to avoid such invisible pitfalls, the Maoists must renounce their rigid and extreme character and conform to the democratic behavior which entails tolerance and liberalism in their thinking and outlook. They must take all sectors of the society with them, using their wisdom in choosing honest and patriotic men only and shunning the failed politicians. They must get over their prejudices and work only in the interest of the nation and the people. They cannot afford to let down their poor countrymen who have greatly suffered from exploitation and discrimination for centuries and are now standing at the threshold dreaming for a better future.

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