As soon as PM Pushpa Kamal Dahal landed at the airport, he called on the NC to take part in the government and work together. The very same day Girija Prasad Koirala rejected the offer. Lately, Koirala has been on the offensive about the Maoists. He worked with the Maoists ever since the signing of the 12-point agreement between the seven-party alliance and the Maoists in New Delhi up to the establishment of Nepal as a republic. But things changed after the presidential election. Because he was not nominated president and was forced to climb down the power ladder, Koirala seems to have started acting like a spiteful, wounded tiger.

The NC has always thought of itself as the only genuine democratic power. Koirala sees the Maoists bent on totalitarianism. The Maoists understand that an extreme version of communism will not be accepted in the 21st century. With 'Prachandapath' as their base, the Maoists want to fuse the strong aspects of federalism to wipe out the weak aspects of a people's republic. But this model is not acceptable to the NC.

Writing the constitution is imperative to ensure Nepal's future. If the parties get entangled in power politics, the people's aspirations will never be achieved. The NC and the Maoists walked hand in hand from the time of the peace process to the period before the presidential elections. This laid the foundation for the state of politics today. Nepal still needs the Koirala-Dahal friendship. The people will benefit only if these democratic and revolutionary forces join hands as the country transforms itself. Those in government have more responsibility to ensure this than the opposition.