I was impressed by Shrishti RL Rana's on-the-ground piece ('Rolpa's reality', #312). While Kathmandu is celebrating so-called loktantra and parliamentarians are making but not implementing historical declarations, the Maoists are using the chance to again extort and create chaos in remote districts and cities. People blame Prachanda for the atrocities and disappearances, but for the people in Rolpa, Rukum, Jajakot, and Dailekh, the village-level Prachandas are everything. They think 'if we hold a gun we are powerful because, they listen to us'. They have no clue about people's power or sovereignty, and have no vision to follow. They genuinely believe that Jana Andolan II was successful because of the Maoists.

Rajan Khatri,
Hamburg

. How can Nepal hold fair and free elections if the Maoists roam the countryside armed and unfettered? Prachanda's time is running out in a more peaceful Nepal and he needs to remove the monarch. Then he can assume all the power traditionally associated with autocratic regimes. The government is wise to curb the monarch's powers, since this removes the need to abolish the monarchy altogether. GP Koirala shows he is a statesman when he puts realpolitik over ideology. That is why Prachanda's demagogy is becoming increasingly shrill. He acts like a child whose mother takes away his sweets since he's already had too many. Do Nepalis really want such a man as their unquestioned leader?

G Lars,
email