OFF THE RECORD (Spotlight Weekly)

Dextrous Deuba

Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba is known as a master of compromises. In striking bargains, he does not make distinctions between friends and foes. In the six months since returning to Singha Durbar, Deuba has persuaded Minister of Cooperatives and Agriculture Mahesh Acharya — a diehard loyalist of former prime minister Girija Prasad Koirala — to change camps. Before that, he enticed another former Koirala loyalist, Narahari Acharya, into his fold. Deuba's success in drawing the two of the three prominent Acharyas in Koirala's camp says a lot about his skills. Mindful that he has to keep 57 MPs on his side to remain in power, Deuba may have several surprises up his sleeves. During his first tenure as prime minister, Deuba went to the extent of provided full-expense-paid visits to Bangkok to five ministers in an effort to save his government. But that didn't turn out to be very helpful in the end. Maybe Deuba should draw the line when it comes to making compromises.

NC's Third Way

Former deputy prime minister Ram Chandra Poudel is working as a bridge between Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and party president Girija Prasad Koirala. As part of his campaign, Poudel recently tabled an evaluation report on the state of emergency. Although the Nepali Congress has set up a high-level monitoring committee and government has formed another all-party committee for the same purpose, Poudel decided to take his own initiative. Whether his report is similar to or different from the other two ones remains to be seen. But one thing is certain: Poudel wants to show that he represents the third way in the Nepali Congress.

UML's Dilemma

The main opposition CPN-UML seems to be busy these days bringing all opposition parties under its umbrella. In a quest to form a broader opposition alliance, the UML recently organized a meeting of 13 political parties ranging from extreme communist outfits like Communist Party of Nepal (Masal) to centrists and rightist groups. UML leader K.P. Sharma Oli went to the Prime Minister's Office to hand over a memorandum on the state of emergency. Oli believes this initiative was a great success. While the Nepali Congress is talking about a broader democratic alliance, perhaps the UML should try to

Ranabhat : Disappearing act?

make one thing clear: is it the main opposition party or just one of many opposition groups?

Quiet Speaker

House of Representatives Speaker Taranath Ranabhat disappeared from the scene as soon as the winter session of parliament was summoned. Until a few weeks back, Ranabhat was busy addressing public meetings and demanding clarifications from the government. Nobody understands why Ranabhat has decided to keep mum. Perhaps

Bajracharya :"My city is clean"

he knows that running the winter session of parliament is not going to be easy. He may have opted for quiet contemplation in order to work out a strategy.

Spot The Difference

Mayor of Lalitpur Municipality Buddhi Raj Bajracharya wants to prove that his city is different from Kathmandu valley's other four. To prove his point, Bajracharya argued that Lalitpur has fewer stray dogs, cows and bulls, lower pollution and less garbage. His ultimate argument is that his municipality charges lower entry fees to tourists. Lalitpur on the cheap?