Kathmandu: If one were to believe former Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala’s fresh statements made here and there, all of a sudden things have deteriorated to the hilt.

“The Royal Palace has lost its reliability or credibility whatsoever; the image of the political forces have gone down in the eyes of the laymen; the police force remains battered and even the intentions and the very motives of the Nepal’s military force could be questioned at the moment”, is all what Party president Girija babu is openly saying these days.

The laymen could have believed Girija utterances had he been at the helm of state affairs. However, the fact is that he read Girija babu, is saying so when he is not in power.

Those who understand Koirala better opine that suddenly national politics become worse in the eyes of Koirala as and when he is out of the chair he loves perhaps most.

In other words, in Koirala’s opinion, Deuba should be summarily sacked and the chair now occupied by Deuba is provided to Koirala. It concurrently means that the past four months or so of Koirala’s remaining out of the glow of the prime ministerial chair have led the scheme of Nepalese things to deteriorate much to the discomfiture of Koirala.

It finally means that president Koirala has become amply restive and that clandestine bids should be on to summarily collapse the incumbent Deuba regime.

Indications to this effect became clearly visible the other day when the entire Koirala yes-men in the parliament did issue a strong statement demanding a thorough judicial probe into the car-accident from which president Koirala came out unscathed. Thanks the Almighty that a national leader of the stature of Koirala is very much alive and kicking. Koirala remained undeterred from the panic of the sad happening and is busy in giving shape to his already finalized schedules.

However, in pressing his yes-men to issue the statement, president Koirala did manage the signature

of some 72 sitting congress lawmakers hinting the other rival camp, read Deuba’s lobby, that should he embark on the road to destabilize Deuba regime he could do so easily. Understandably 72 is a good number numerically speaking. In effect, if the figure 72 remained intact with Koirala then he could easily bring Deuba yet again to the streets. By and large, the collection of this 72 by president Koirala in his favor or support also concurrently means that out of the total there could be some numbers whom Deuba might not have given ministerial berths or could have summarily ignored at time of the cabinet expansion. Can’t be ruled out for such phenomenon have become a regular feature in the congress paraphernalia.

And this finally means that should Koirala so desire, Deuba’s days in government were numbered.

Does this hint the revival of the 74 versus the 36 syndrome in the congress which had taken its toll, politically speaking, some years back? The number this time is 72 versus the rest. A slight variation in the number indeed.

However, this is not all. Deuba too has cards under his sleeve.

The number one triumph card, which Deuba possesses at the moment, is his (though belated) success in bringing the Maoists for the third round of talks which already began from yesterday. Immaterial of the outcome, Deuba is the winner at least for the time being. The second possible jerk that Koirala might have to feel from the side of Deuba would perhaps depend on how Deuba convinces the insurgents to join the main political stream. If by chance the rebellions agreed could give name and fame both to Deuba much to the displeasure of president Koirala.

That Koirala is not at all happy with the recent political “concessions” awarded to the Maoists becomes very much clear from his displeasure exhibited for the government’s taking back the Public Security Regulations and more so the release of some 68 Maoists cadres from custody. Above all, Koirala finds it very difficult to digest the theory advanced by the regime for an all party government that could house some of the insurgents and later conduct elections.

In Koirala’s opinion, the Maoists must be dealt with firm hands and that the King too remained prepared for the use of the military force to arrest the threats of the insurgents.

Summing up, Koirala’s wish to bounce back to power and on the contrary Deuba’s preference to continue in power will much depend on the outcome of the ongoing third round of talks. Predictably, if the talks fail, Koirala will pounce on Deuba. If it is otherwise the result is any body’s guess.