BILASH RAI

The future of the peace process and the new constitution depends on Nepal's holy trinity of leaders: Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal, Maoist chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal and the NC leader, Girija Prasad Koirala.

Dasain's tea party diplomacy looked like it had narrowed the differences between the three leaders. But internal pressures within the Maoists are making it difficult for the leaders to follow through on promises. Maoist rhetoric has become more strident to mask internal dissent as well as disarray in their ranks. A semantic formula is being worked out that would give the Maoists and the other parties a face-saving way out of the current deadlock. The question is: after ratcheting up the rhetoric can the Maoists sell any compromise to their cadre?

The Madhav Nepal government will survive because there is noone else acceptable to everyone. Koirala flirted with Dahal to try to elevate his daughter Sujata, but that proposal isn't going anywhere. Meanwhile, the inside-the-Ring Road government acts as if the rest of the country's real problems aren't real.

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