At a public meeting at Rara, Prime Minister Deuba was in a fix, wondering what he ought to speak on. He turned to Mohan Baniya, president of the Mugu District Development Committee who was sitting next to him, and asked what would be an appropriate topic to talk about.

Baniya was stunned by the question, but recovered and said that Deuba should talk about the same old issues, the current situation of the country. This conversation went on for some time, it was something like this:
Deuba: "Tell me, what should I talk about."
Baniya (pointing to the area around Rara lake): "The construction of the road around the lake."
Deuba: "No! We should not build a road in this area."
Baniya: "The construction of the airport and the issue of food can be discussed."
Deuba: "Please write it down for me."

Baniya, a UML party member, hurriedly scribbled some points on a piece of paper lying in front of him. At this very moment Member of Parliament Rajendra Pandey was addressing the meeting. He was facing the crowd on the banks of the lake, and so Deuba and Baniya were directly behind him. Pandey finished off his speech saying that the prime minister had to promise that the airport would be completed within six months.
Deuba then started speaking and said that if he lied, he would be called a fool and so could only say that the airport would be completed within a year. Pandey shouted from the dais, "Can't you finish it within six months?" Deuba replied, "Not possible."

Bahkat Shahi, former president of the Mugu DDC, was sitting with some reporters. He shouted, "We are the ones who have to carry out the construction, so don't worry." Shahi is the president of the airport construction committee. The Talcha airport has been under construction for the past 23 years.
Deuba then said that if the area were to be developed, then the UML, too, had to extend a helping hand. Pandey added that they (the UML) had helped to make Deuba prime minister. Deuba brought up the issue of the republic (demanded by the Maoists) and said he could not agree to that, saying that even after 28 years in exile, there was now talk of bringing back the former king of Afghanistan to rule the war torn country.
The Prime Minister was there to inaugurate the Rara Festival, which was to have been opened by King Birendra, who was killed in June.