Kathmandu. The president of the Deuba congress—Sher Bahadur Deuba has predicted that the government-Maoist talks would fail.

This he said at a program organised here by his party a week ago.

” How could a King who does not wish to honor the proposals of the parliamentary parties would oblige the Maoists”?, questioned Deuba.

He further asked as to how things in this country would improve when the ground reality is that the King wishes to rule the country for long; the parliamentary parties prefer to proceed right with the 1990 constitution itself; and the Maoists have been demanding constituent assembly if not a republicanism for the moment?

These diametrically opposing demands said Deuba, forces him to conclude that the talks with the Maoists will go to the dogs.

He however, in a satirical vein maintained that the peace talks could have a positive landing if the much-publicised “Prachand-Path”-the Prachanda way, converged with “Gyanendra-Path”-the King Gyanendra way.

Former Prime Minister Deuba , however, criticised the Maoists insurgency by stating that if the Maoists could roam around villages equipped with arms, why can’t the RNA do the same?

According to Deuba, the insurgents were still active in the districts and the villages despite the agreements reached prior to the resumption of the talks in February.

In a sarcastic remark against the King, Deuba said that had the King been competent enough he should have conducted elections already but has failed so far. Drawing a meaning from the King’s inability to conduct the elections, Deuba hinted that it meant that the King wished to rule the country directly for some more time to come.

Does this mean that Deuba’s relations with the Palace were still far from satisfactory?