Kathmandu, April 26:

The April 10 vote has produced a hung Constituent Assembly-cum-parliament, establishing Maoists as the single largest party. Working backstage, the parliament secretariat is preparing for the first meeting of the Assembly at the International Convention Centre. The express purpose of this meeting is to turn the country into a federal democratic republic consigning the institution of monarchy to flames.

Maoists are waiting in their wings to swarm into Singha Durbar leading a new government. Going by the popular votes, the people have rejected the Nepali Congress and the CPN-UML.

These parties are apprehensive about a militant Maoist government, backed up by the Young Communist League that ‘engineered’ a stunning victory of the party.

The political leadership of both the parties are at their wits’ end. They face a wrath from the party workers daily for the electoral debacle and feel insecure that the Maoists will capture it all, the way they ‘captured the votes’ in the run-up to the election itself.

Sher Bahadur Deuba spoke of the Nepali Congress’ mood at a reception hosted yesterday by Prakash Man Singh to mark his victory from Kathmandu 1: Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala should continue to lead the government because Maoists do not command the two thirds majority needed to change the government.

UML has been going public in its own way against a Maoist-led government.

UML youth leader Shankar Pokhrel today proposed arm-twisting of the Maoists before inviting the ex-rebels to head the government. They should commit that the YCL will not commit excesses against the opposition, he demanded.

He also called for a constitutional amendment, giving a simple parliamentary majority the necessary tooth to remove the prime minister.

The UML and the NC are also calling for dissolution of the Young Communist League while stressing seven-party alliance.

As the purpose of the Assembly is to write a new constitution for a federal democratic republic, the political parties must work in close coordination in line with the spirit of the peace process, including the Comprehensive Peace Agreement and the interim constitution.

But the way all these issues seem to surface weeks ahead of the first meeting of the Assembly itself intrigue political watchers.

Could it be that somebody is fishing in turbid waters? Or, could it be that the political leadership in the Nepali Congress and the CPN-UML are trying to divert the attention away from the criticism for their humiliating defeat in the election?