These days Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba doesn't miss any opportunity to give people a piece of his mind. A few days ago he was a guest at a program related to communications, and he fired a salvo at the media. The following day he attended a program hosted by the civil service and he berated the bureaucracy. Then, at an FNCCI program he lashed out at businessmen. "Journalists should be helping contain terrorism instead of spreading it," he told media. Deuba's language and tone resembled that of a police or army officer. This is no surprise given the time he spends with them. Deuba has forgotten the immediate media support he received after his reappointment as prime minister. The reason for that support was the expectation that this government would produce positive results. But those hopes are now dashed. While taking on the business community, Deuba blamed them of paying off the Maoists. But how can anyone survive in this society without giving into extortion demands? For those living within the security shield of the state, there may be exceptions. Even poor farmers are forced to donate to the rebels. They really don't have a choice. Only when people have nothing left to lose do they rise up like the people of Dailekh have done.

Deuba accused the bureaucrats of not performing. So, why doesn't he punish them? He heads the government, after all. Isn't he just trying to pass the buck? Maybe the reason the bureaucrats don't listen to the politicians is because they know the government's days are numbered. Deuba didn't even spare cartoonists, and one particular one for lampooning his official residence as 'Baluwatar Restaurant and Bar'.