Kathmandu: A clever Madhav Nepal, comparatively speaking, too went against the four-party alliance which had in the recent past vowed that the major political parties grouped in this alliance would turn down any request from the Royal Palace for a royal audience if it came on a separate basis and that they would see the King only if the request came for a group meeting.

The UML leader, now a very powerful man almost close to what the then Lyonid Breznez had been for the then Soviet Union, Madhav Nepal too finally sneaked into the Royal Palace Monday afternoon and is learnt to have in real sense “exchanged” views with the monarch on the contemporary events.

During the meet, Mr. Madhav Nepal too offered his “prescriptions” to the monarch’s perusal and impressed upon the latter that if his prescriptions were brought into practice, the nation’s burning issues could well be addressed.

Fortunately, Madhav Nepal and his party has been demanding the replacement of what it calls an “unconstitutional” government of Lokendra Chand with an all-party government which will later take up the national issues, for example, the Maoists imbroglio, restoration of peace and finally conducting the elections to the parliament.

This is exactly what Madhav Nepal told the monarch and according to Mr. Nepal the King told him that he was not “averse” to his proposal.

Sources close to Madhav Nepal say that the King also assured the visiting communist dignitary that he will continue to “preserve” the constitution and thus urged Madhav and his colleagues not to suspect the monarch’s intentions.

During the talk, Madhav Nepal is supposed to have convinced the monarch that there were “secret bids” that were on to corner or for that matter sideline the “political” roles of the major political parties from the national issues and that until and unless the potential parties were not allowed to play their due role in the process of governance and Maoists imbroglio resolution, the nation’s crisis will remain intact.

In effect, Madhav Nepal appears to have impressed upon the King to use his good offices in instructing the Chand government not to minimize the four party alliances’ role in the current scheme of things in the country. If further analyzed, Madhav Nepal and Koirala would pleasingly accept any offer from the Chand government that comes in the form of an appeal to these politicos to take up the lead.

This also means that both Koirala and Madhav Nepal had started feeling totally “humiliated” for having been totally sidelined by the Chand set up at time of the announcement of the ceasefire with the Maoists. Its corollary could be drawn that Koirala and Nepal could have concluded that if the process of theirs being sidelined continued for long moght affect their future political career. In effect, it is minister Narayan Singh Pun who is everyday hitting the media headlines and not Koirala and Madhav Nepal.

The fact is that if one wished to know what Madhav and Koirala had been doing these days, one has to buy newspapers affiliated to these two politicos. The fact is also that the congress and the UML had not even imagined that a day would come in Nepal when their role would be so drastically cut. The ground reality is that the government is all set to initiate the peace negotiations with the Maoists some time this week. The four party alliances’ boycott of Monday all-party meet will apparently not deter the government to keep the process on. And this is what the Maoists too apparently wish which means that the negotiating parties would not mind the talks continuing even in the total absence of the major political parties’ participation.

The fact is that the government invited them Monday for an all-party talks but these parties declined the invitation stating that any meeting called by an “unconstitutional” government would be unacceptable for them.

However, the fact is also that Madhav and Koirala rushed to the Palace to see the Monarch who has formed this government whom they both call an unconstitutional one.

Sources close to the UML say that the King told Mr. Nepal that he would think of Nepal’s proposal for an all-party government upon his return from India. And that was all from the King.

By and by, the King also hinted that time permitting he would see the leaders of political parties’ in a group.

Finally, Madhav Nepal has returned from the Palace. His utterances does hint that he have had two-way dialogue with the monarch which the monarch denied Koirala. This means that Madhav Nepal must have read the King’s inner minds regarding the existing situation.

Analysts say that the monarch appears to have taken Madhav’s proposal very seriously whose effects could be seen when the monarch returns from his impending India sojourn.

Some analysts say that Madhav Nepal’s stay in the palace for about two hours is meaningful and significant as well.

If an all party government is formed by the monarch in the near future would mean that Madhav had been able to convince the monarch. If that does happen, is it Madhav Nepal the next prime minister?

If he obliges Madhav Nepal then would not the move mean yet another “unconstitutional” measure by the King for he would do so by the utilisation of the “residual powers” and the executive powers that the King is supposed to have in his own personality? And this is what the political parties have been demanding that a government be formed which possesses executive powers of the monarch.

This would mean that to satisfy Madhav’s ego, the King is being prompted to act in a different manner but which is of its liking to the political parties.

For example, the King forms an all party government and utters that he now devolved his executive powers to the government thus formed. And what if the King dismisses the government thus formed and says that the executive powers now again in his own hands? This would mean that if it were of the liking of the political parties, even if the King acted unconstitutionally should mean constitutional. Here lies the paradox indeed.