 BIKRAM RAI |
With one week to go for the deadline, the country is headed for another constitutional anti-climax.
The four main parties have intensified back-room negotiations on the two main stumbling blocks: decommissioning of Maoist fighters and justifying another extension to a seriously disillusioned country. The fact that senior leaders could not be reached for soundbites all day Thursday is probably a good sign.
Maoist leader Ram Karki says, "Thursday's meeting will address these points together to forward the peace process, even if this means changing the government or amending the interim constitution." Inspite of its strong rhetoric in the media, Congress too has has little choice but to agree to extension. "We have cautioned the Maoists that NC will sit for talks to avert untoward situation but it will not compromise on fundamentals of democracy." Congress central committee member Deep Kumar Upadhya told Nepali Times.
There are positive signs that even the parties that were against CA extension or bargaining hard to try to get into government in return for acceptance have now come on board. Right across the political spectrum, leaders seem to have seen the writing on the wall from last week's Himalmedia poll and all agree that a national unity government is the only way forward. However, the trust deficit between the NC and the Maoists is still so great that it is unlikely to be cleared in the few days that are left.
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