2nd Impression The Telegraph

2nd SECOND IMPRESSION

Achtung ! watch your friends closely Mr. Premier

It has not for nothing been said that a man is known by the company he keeps. It is this company that sets one's mind. If the set comprises of good and benevolent characters, the person enjoys the friendship and later earns a prestige in the society wherein he lives. Contrary to this, all is too bad for him. Care must be taken in selecting the friends if one were to succeed in one's targeted goals. More so in politics extra care must be taken or else if the set of the companions around him were rotten eggs, his political career might go to the doom in no time.

It is in this context we wish to alert Prime Minister Deuba who unfortunately is surrounded with such a set of politicians who at one time or the other have already earned a very bad name in politics to the extent that newly married couples prefer not to copy the names of those politicians for their newly born kids for fear of becoming a matter of hatred-joke from the men in their immediate vicinity.

In effect, a few ministers housed in Deuba's cabinet could well be the target of the national population and the media as well for their past misdeeds and acts of rampant corruption which will ultimately degrade the very prestige of the new Prime Minister who till this time is being considered to be a nice personality. It could be that we know less about him. However, without knowing incidents that prove his association in corrupt practices we are not supposed to malign his prestige.

Some even say that if one Mr. Tom in the present ministry is squeezed and is brought to book could vomit wealth to the tune that at least twenty concrete bridges could be constructed out of the money he has amassed during his previous tenure (s) in the lucrative ministries.

Yet another gentleman currently in the ministry if interrogated firmly by law enforcement authorities could yield astronomical amounts to the tune that at least ten huge factories could be easily established in the far-western region which could offer employment opportunities to thousands and thousands of starving population in that part including the youths who have recently joined the ranks of the insurgents.

The third man in the present cabinet, we are told, possesses eighteen posh buildings. However, the structures have been for sake of averting any untoward incident has been registered in the names of his near and dear relatives. If his structures are confiscated after due interrogation could well give some solace to thousands of KAMAIYAS in western part who feel more harassed now when they have been told that they were now free birds.

Very sadly speaking there is yet another gentleman in the ministry whose very presence at the receptions or at social gatherings terrifies the teen-age damsels or even the married female folks. In effect, this man entered into the house of a married women under drunken spell during unearthly hours some two years ago and a great furore forced the then Prime Minister to sack him from the cabinet. Some miscreants as is usual in Nepal could have over blown the story through the "for-sale" media to malign this person. However, things took a different turn when the lady tentatively herself admitted this fact. After some time things took a back seat as some incidents of more grave dimensions overshadowed the previous affair.

Finally there is a political "he man" in the cabinet who remains every time influencial as, we are told, he commands the loyalty of some eighteen NC lawmakers. And hence any person desiring to be the executive chief or already enjoying the same must obey his dictates, good or bad. It is in the rumor that Deuba could garner 70 plus votes only with his "18" numbers. This means that if Deuba dilly-dallies his requests, the former is gone.

However, the persons mentioned above might have reformed themselves in the meantime. Unless they commit mistakes of the sort of mentioned in the earlier paragraphs, we must consider them as "sacrosanct"'. That's all.