Handle politics with utmost care!

A lull that had been distinctly marked and felt in Nepal's contemporary politics of late appears to take a different sort of turn by the third week of this month. Indications to this effect become evident from the various visible and clandestine political overtures initiated or yet to be initiated by different political quarters in the country including those of the Maoists insurgents indeed. The much publicized first official round of the Maoists-Government talks though apparently were held in most "cordial" and "frank" manner appear to have had some "hitches" of Himalayan dimensions which the lay men were denied both by the government and the Maoists. The manner the Maoists representative at the talks preferred to talk to a gathering in Nepalganj the same day immediately after the "official level talks in Kathmandu" does amply hint that the talks in Kathmandu took a topsy-turvy turn when the both negotiating parties put their "declared" stances for the perusal of the other. Presumably, both the sides hinted the other that should the talks fail, a sort of unexpected situation would instantly grip the nation and that the entire responsibility would have to be shouldered by the other camp if that so happened. However, both the sides agreed to disagree but yet again agreed to tell the general mass that things were in their grips.

Prime Minister Deuba's repeated calls to the Maoists to abruptly halt their undesirable activities as per the agreement and the reported ongoing of the same from the other camp has visibly annoyed the government quarters to the extent that the latter has started serving warnings to the other rival camp and been hinting of "dire consequences".

The general populace remains equally terrified with the Maoists declaration that a sort of mammoth gathering comprised of the Maoists cadres from all over the Kingdom will converge in Kathmandu on September 21 presumably to exhibit their Herculean strength. The sea of Maoists cadres if converged as per their earlier declaration on that particular day will definitely cause panic among the men manning the security systems in the valley. If some disgruntled element from among the crowd or even from outside goes crazy, the consequences could well be predicted in advance. Though most assuring, the insurgents have said that theirs congregation will remain peaceful, however, the nation will immediately take a new disastrous turn should some thing of a special nature occur on that fateful day as reports say that the security systems both at the police and the army level have already been kept alert. Let's not panic. Let us hope that wisdom prevails on all the sides, as we all were the sons of the same soil and understand better what needs to be done and not on such moments.

The government is thus advised to observe restraints so that the situation does not go out of the track and the same should apply to the insurgents. Let us again hope that the proposed second round of talks succeed and the nation takes a sigh of relief for all time to come.

King Gyanendra speaks his mind!

It has become tentatively clear by now that the new monarch, King Gyanendra, prefers to ventilate his inner feelings regarding the state of affairs of the nation through the meetings with the men in the Nepali media. In the process, the new monarch has already hinted that he was not at all happy with the scheme of existing political things in the country and that he would not remain a mere spectator unlike his brother late King Birendra. Whether the King himself wished to air his feelings through the kind courtesy of the media "personalities" or the media men themselves dared to print the King's views and bag accolades from the lay men or from certain quarters (!) has not yet become clear. However, what has become crystal clear is that the King very much wishes to meet personages from various sectors including the Nepali media and that He in the process clearly possesses a craving aimed at hinting the people that should the nation need his strong presence, he would presumably do so and that too in the name of the people and the nation. That the new monarch is well abreast with the country's deteriorating situation came to the fore when King Gyanendra had a tête-à-tête with the chief of a broad sheet daily only a fort night ago. And that the King wishes to win the hearts of the people by assuming a befitting role as enshrined in the 1990 constitution again has come to the fore only recently when it was made public by the media man who recently met the new monarch. According to the journalist, the King indirectly hinted that the mobilization of the already deployed army at Holeri could not go into "action" because of the lack of certain necessary home works needed prior to the attacks. Not very surprisingly, King's clarification in this "regard" has come at a time when former Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala and his close aides have been indirectly airing that since the King did not give the necessary instructions to the military men deployed in Holerie and hence the government plan to wipe out the entrapped Maoists in the jungles could not take real shape.

This clarification is meaningful in more ways than one. Firstly, the King's clarification gives ample hint that He would not remain silent as and when He is being targeted by some one. Secondly, He would prefer to speak his mind regarding the "subject" in whom he is dragged or even maligned deliberate or otherwise through the media. This clearly proves His previous saying that He would not remain a mere onlooker to the events as His august late brother King Birendra. This finally means that Nepal has now a King who will respond as and when "politics" of the nation demanded his response even if the Nepali political actors did not take that in good taste.

The impending days and months appear to be crucial in Nepali politics indeed. The political pundits of the nation could best analyze the rest.

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