Kathmandu: The first phase of the “people’s movement”, if it were so, waged by the major parliamentary parties’ is on and the second phase is to begin shortly.

The movement certainly has yet to gain the momentum to which the party leaders expected.

Their expectations have apparently been turned down by a population which witnessed their performances over the past thirteen democratic years or if it were otherwise the population would have come to the streets the day after when the constitutional monarch dismissed the then Deuba government last October.

In sum, this could be a movement or still is a movement in which the lay men possess no interest for varied understandable reasons. The fact is that the leaders’ in the forefront of the said movement are all aware as to what has been the root cause behind their movement not gaining the desired and expected momentum.

Perhaps it is these factors that compels the paramount leaders to come to lead the demonstrations for they expect that the people will be seduced and will be attracted to join their said movement.

For example, “towering” political personalities like Girija Prasad and Madhav Nepal could be seen themselves leading the lecture programs, sit-in sessions and holding of demonstrations against the Royal government, for they know that their movement could fizzle out should they remain absent on such occasions.

The programs in which these leaders in the past used to send their second generation leaders now demand the presence of the top-hats. This is no less a change in the perceptions of the “population” whom the leaders treat as nothing more than “voters”.

The movement has suddenly become different now.

The army has warned the leaders that they would not tolerate any thing that degrades the prestige of the monarchy. Now that the leaders will have to keep themselves restrained while making lectures means that the fiery speeches that they used to lure the people till the otherday will be absent now. This would mean that their speeches will remain as mere eloquent speeches which the population has been listening since April 1990.

By time now the population has also concluded that the leaders in Nepal begin crying foul against the monarchy as and when they are out from the corridors of power.

Add to this, too much of criticism against the monarchy could rebound. The people apparently exhibit their disinterest in listening to remarks that time and again hit the monarchy in strong words.

That the movement this time has not gained momentum as it should have been is also due to the fact that the agitators can’t now declare Chakka Jams, Nepal closures and the likes for the people by time have already developed a sort of chronic allergy for such Bundhs and Chakka Jams. In absence of these “handy tools, the movement can’t move satisfactorily as per the wishes of the agitators.

The movement to gain momentum needs the support of the population which in turn appears reluctant in supporting the agitators for varied and understandable reasons.

If the agitators consider the Monday’s electricity black-out as their grand success, then what they should clearly understand that the lay men “obeyed” to their dictates for fear of their houses being vandalized by the party cadres. This they did to save their houses from being attacked by the party activists. This they did out of fear but not out of sympathy to their calls.

It’s all fear psychosis that the population has ever abided by the calls of the parties.