MIN RATNA BAJRACHARYA

Violence and armed struggle will never bring about peace and prosperity. No political party can succeed through armed revolution, which in any case has become an obsolete idea. The fruits of armed revolution are at best short lived.

Political parties should understand that people are fed up with violence and will shun anyone who tries to sow communal discord.

This isn't the time for conflict. The parties ought to cooperate to write a constitution that addresses ordinary people's aspirations. The constitution should eliminate past inequalities, discrimination and misunderstanding in order to empower the people.

As the biggest party in the CA, the Maoists should be more responsible and create an environment conducive to consensus. Instead, they have disrupted the House, protested on the streets, all in order to impose their ideology on others. They talk of a People's Republic with their cadres but express a commitment to democracy with the international community. This two-facedness has caused greater uncertainty.

The other so-called democratic parties haven't behaved democratically either. It's time they sorted out their own problems instead of blaming each other.

We need honest politicians. The Maoists claim they want peace but have a finger on the trigger. This is nonsense. We should renounce violence for peace.

To make a country democratic, peaceful and prosperous, the political culture should be democratic and progressive first.