Some intellectuals think that before the Maoists launched their armed rebellion there was peace in society. However, at that time Dalits were not allowed to enter temples, they faced violence when filling water vessels at public taps, women were accused of witchcraft or tricked into the sex trade. So we cannot say that Nepali society was peaceful. The Maoist rebellion definitely accelerated and changed the nature of the conflict.

With the insurgency, NGOs that call themselves civil society got the opportunity to make money in the name of conflict resolution. For them it was like Dasain. Seminars and dinners were held in five-star hotels, those who received certificates establishing their status as intelligentsia, went on foreign tours, journals were published but never distributed, candles were lit. They even sponsored goat-raising and vegetable-growing for peace. The argument was that if people were kept busy, the rebellion would weaken. How much money was spent on such programs? Which class of society profited? Did such programs benefit the peace process at all and if so where? One sector clearly reaped dollars in the name of establishing peace.

The current issue of the constituent assembly is another great opportunity for NGOs to make dollars. The same people who said the king's move would help curb corruption and argued that the monarch was more inclusive than the parties in the hope of being appointed minister, have already started trying to secure projects from DFID to prepare the Dalit agenda for the constituent assembly. Big NGOs that previously had no link with weaker sections of society are today preparing an agenda to uplift the oppressed. Donors in Nepal have a deep-rooted desire to demonstrate that they are involved in the ongoing movement.

When the civil society movement led by Devendra Raj Panday and Krishna Pahadi was at its peak, donors wanted to prove that they were playing a role and NGOs were busy preparing projects in the movement's name. Donors wanted to buy the movement but due to Panday's courage they had to return embarrassed after being told off by him. Big donors and NGOs will and have already started getting involved in today's politics in order to show how gracious they are.