The CPN-Maoist and the SPA government are discussing the formation of an interim government, the last major task of inducting the Maoists fully into interim governance. Now that the registration and storage of Maoist arms by the UN monitors is over, there is nothing left now to justify any delay in this regard. The Maoists seem to be also keen on fixing the date for the CA polls. Maoist chairman Prachanda and his deputy Dr Baburam Bhattarai said they raised this matter “seriously” at Wednesday’s preparatory three-hour discussion with government talks team coordinator Krishna Prasad Sitaula and the Prime Minister’s aide Dr Shekhar Koirala. According to Prachanda, the urgency of announcing a poll date has been stressed by the “latest political developments, including the Tarai movement, various groups’ protests, and the controversial statements by an army general in Pokhara, as well as by the King”.

Indeed, these issues should be resolved without further delay to carry out the mandate of Jana Andolan II. Prachanda also told the press after Wednesday’s meeting that the Maoists would not join the interim government if they were not given key ministerial portfolios like Home, Foreign Affairs, Defence, and Information and Communications. Given the political parties’ practice since 1990 of going out of their way to land “plum posts”, any insistence on key portfolios now seems to ring unfavourable tones in the public mind. The Maoists would do well to keep this in mind, if they wanted to set themselves apart from the other political parties. This does not, however, mean that the Maoists should not get ministries considered “powerful”. As they are going to be a key constituent of the interim government, there is no doubt that they should receive a fair share. But too much attention to portfolios should not be allowed to affect the CA. After all, an interim government will be temporary, until an elected one takes over after the CA process. Besides, in all likelihood, major decisions in the interim period will be based on an eight-party consensus and the conduct of major government business will follow certain agreed norms and criteria.

In Wednesday’s talks, home minister Sitaula also conveyed to the Maoist leaders PM Koirala’s concerns, including cases of Maoist violence and intimidation. Indeed, all parties, all the more so those who have joined or are about to join government, ought to demonstrate a high sense of accountability. But the interim government cannot be postponed citing stray cases of irresponsibility in a phase of history which is transitional not only for the country but for the parties, particularly the Maoists who are changing from the ethos of arms-carrying guerrillas to the norms of peacetime competitive politics. Nor can it be delayed merely because of not entirely unfounded suspicion that the Maoists have not made a full disclosure of their arms. The burden of proof falls on the doubters, whoever they may be. Anyway, the government is armed with a provision of the Comprehensive Peace Treaty to treat any arms other than those recorded by the UN monitors as illegal.