Of late the Indian press has expressed an overwhelming interest in our politics. The Nepali populace, however, does not enjoy this attention. In its 1 May editorial, The Times of India offers unsolicited advice to the king and other Nepali politicos. With a title that reads "Kings' Cross", the newspaper says, "King Gyanendra could strike a blow for an enduring monarchy by launching a political party that would lead the way to a more democratic order. Should he make bold to do so, he could well pave the way for a new republic where the monarchy too would abide as a stabilising symbol of Nepal's multicultural identity".The editorial also says the Maoist's campaign has severely curtailed the role of the monarchy in national politics. The volatile situation may compel the political parties to take a new tack. It suggests that if the king does not want to lose ground, he must launch his own political party.

The Times of India says ever since the king took over in October, there have been concerted efforts to consolidate his executive power. Extrapolating from the Bulgarian example, it describes in detail how the Bulgarian monarch who got expelled in 1946 made an unbelievable come back as a leader of the New Movement Party. The newspaper outlines ways in which King Gyanendra can win a popular mandate in representative politics on the platform of uprooting corruption, criminality and poverty. It says, "view that the king should abdicate is gaining ground". Only the Maoists have explicitly made this demand. It says the monarchy-presently unpopular with both the Maoists and the mainstream political parties-should take a "proactive step to strengthen the democratic process and, at the same time, maintain the appeal of the monarchy".