BILASH RAI

It has become accepted practice in Nepal's politics to sign an agreement at the eleventh hour after marathon negotiations, and then just go on to do your own thing. The Big Four had agreed on a five-point deal that after Baburam Bhattarai, it would be the NC's 'turn' to be prime minister. Now, Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal says under no circumstances would the NC be allowed to head the next government. The prime minister told his supporters on Wednesday, it was bad enough having a Congress president, "imagine if there was also a Congress prime minister".

The NC itself is in such disarray that it can't even agree on its candidate for prime ministership. Besides, it hasn't come up with any new attractive ideas on why it should have prime ministership other than to imply that it wants to head an election government for the incumbent advantage.

With only a month to go for the extended holiday period, the NC, UML, the Baidya Maoists, and other smaller parties are set to take to the streets to pile up pressure on Prime Minister Bhattarai to step down and make way for an all-party government. The ruling Maoist-Madhesi alliance also plans nationwide mass meetings to explain why it won't let go. To complicate things, Dahal is waiting for Bhattarai to make a serious misstep so he himself can be prime minister.

Forecast: expect some street fireworks before the country goes into a month-long holiday coma and reawakens in mid-November.

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