KIRAN PANDAY

Willingly or not, our political leaders are polarising the country. Maoist leaders launched the current street protest because they were under pressure to do so from the majority of party members who supported the idea.

The political leadership isn't focused on safeguarding the historic changes we've achieved in the past couple of years. A consensus government is necessary to end political confrontation which, in turn, requires that all past agreements, including the 12 point agreement, be reviewed without scrapping old agreements.

A new, reviewed agreement should mandate a national unity government and forbid any opposition. A common mechanism should be developed to resolve the political disputes and misunderstandings to help run the government smoothly. The same mechanism can decide the forms of the government.

The current situation is the result of short-sighted political leadership. The integration of the Maoist fighters should have been completed before the CA elections. The combatants should have already been discharged from the cantonments.

The Maoist House obstructions have delayed the constitution-writing process, although they claim otherwise. The parliament is part of the CA, not a separate body. The Maoists should let the House operate freely. It's completely unreasonable to hold the House hostage to their demands.

The Maoists seem to have decided that if that are not leading the government, they will be on the streets protesting it. But there are good reasons for them to come to the table. One way to end the political deadlock is to form a national government that is unopposed in parliament. The peace process hinges on the integration of Maoist fighters and completion of the constiutition. For this, the political parties ought to moderate their rhetoric.

If the Maoists form or join the government, they will be forced to stand up for the constitution-writing process. They might have thought that they could push their issues if they led the government. The threat of resurrection of insurgency is neither practical nor logical. Therefore, if the Maoists are committed to democracy, they should allow the House proceedings and initiate a parliamentary process to form a national government. The other parties do not oppose this. This will be an opportunity for them to take national and international players into confidence.